Takeaways from Atlético Madrid’s 6-1 drubbing of Kitchee in Hong Kong

Atlético Madrid continued their pre-season escapades with a tour to Hong Kong, where they took on Kitchee in what ended up being a thumping 6-1 victory for the Spanish team at the Hong Kong Stadium.

There was a dream debut for Alexander Sørloth, who scored with his second and third involvements in an Atlético Madrid shirt, first sidefooting into the back of the net off the post, and then chipping goalkeeper Fynn Talley.

In the second period, Carlos Martín added a tap in only six minutes in, while Santiago Mouriño will then claim his far post header as Kitchee failed to clear a set piece delivery into the box. Kitchee then pulled one back as Ilias Kostis lost the ball needlessly in his own half, allowing Sherzod Temirov to score past Antonio Gomis. Another youngster, Adrián Niño then added a fifth for the visitors before Thomas Lemar made it six, while wearing the captain’s armband, round off a smart display.

Photo by Yu Chun Christopher Wong/Eurasia Sport Images/Getty Images

Here are some of the major takeaways.

Was this game worthwhile?

The gulf in quality between these two teams was obvious right from the very start. Kitchee finished fourth in the Hong Kong Premier League last season and their coach Edgar Cardoso was given the job this summer as his first senior coaching role. For them, this was as much a testimonial game for captain Huang Yang as it was a pre-season test.

The pace of this game was way below the standard and was particularly striking following the high intensity of the friendly against Getafe at the weekend. In comparison, this was more of a training exercise for an Atleti side who looked to be in first gear at all times.

Photo by Yu Chun Christopher Wong/Eurasia Sport Images/Getty Images

The club clearly has commercial interests which they wanted to exploit in Asia, and this game was the result of the previously planned tour falling through. There should be lessons learned on the commercial side, because none of the players out there gained any more from taking on Kitchee than they would have if they’d played a training game at the club’s facilities in Majadahonda.

Alexander Sørloth’s debut and where he fits in

It took the Norwegian only six minutes to get himself on the scoresheet, as he found himself space in the box to peel away unmarked and then poke home from six yards after a João Félix shot was deflected his way. He reacted just as quickly almost immediately from kick-off when a poor pass from the Kitchee goalkeeper rebounded, and he was able to chip the shotstopper and double Atleti’s lead.

In truth, Sørloth didn’t really need to break into a sweat. His hold up play created another chance for Atleti, but that was one of his few involvements in a game in which Atleti were happy to hold onto the ball without taking many risks, with the forward pouncing whenever it fell his way to score.

What was perhaps more intriguing was how Ángel Correa and João Félix looked to run from deep to join him as he held the ball up. It was a different tactical approach to that deployed when Correa was used as the nine earlier in pre-season, and more like the system used with Álvaro Morata last season.

What formation was that?

If the opopsition weren’t the toughest test in the world, it did still give Diego Simeone the opportunity to experiment and try something new. That came primarily in alternating and adjusting the system and its flexibility to transition into slightly different shapes.

Reinildo stepped up and was operating in a bizarre hybrid midfield role, interlinking with Samuel Lino with Lino moving into a wider role and Reinildo almost flanking Koke on the left, with Arthur Vermeeren. Then defensively, he dropped back into the back three so that he could align with Axel Witsel and César Azpilicueta.

At times, Lino also move forward, with Reinildo moving across as a left-back in more of a back four. In those moments, the team looked more like a 3-4-2-1 with Félix and Correa behind Sørloth but ahead of the midfield four.

Photo by Yu Chun Christopher Wong/Eurasia Sport Images/Getty Images

Marcos Llorente has to be first choice on the right

Nahuel Molina is yet to return to pre-season training with Atlético Madrid because he was busy winning the Copa América and enjoying a delayed vacation as a result. However, it may well have cost him a starting spot at Atlético Madrid which was already under question following his poor form in 2023/24.

During the summer, Marcos Llorente has been the replacement down the right flank and has looked at home. With the arrival of more central midfielders in Connor Gallagher, Llorente’s role looks to increasingly be on the right and he’s looking very promising, particularly offensively where he is contributing almost like another forward.

Molina has his benefits, but it’s undeniable that Llorente is much more efficient and reliable with his distribution and final ball delivery than anyone else, and much more than Molina.

In the second half, he was replaced by Carlos Giménez, a central defender playing more on the right than usual, while it did mean that Carlos Martín, whose only route into the team seems to be in this role on the right wing, was deployed in the centre-forward role.

Arthur Vermeeren played like a man with a lot at stake, and it showed

All of the transfer speculation this week has put a lot of pressure on some players who are fighting to show that they deserve a place in the squad, but in particular it may make life more difficult for Arthur Vermeeren. After a promising pre-season, his future now looks more uncertain than ever.

Sadly, it showed in Hong Kong. His pass accuracy was just 84%, and not in the toughest of conditions or with the most ambitious of moves. Equally, defensively he won only one of three duels.

The 19-year-old midfielder looked more like the nervous teenager who arrived in January than the promising prospect that we’d seen flashes of against Getafe and Numancia. He needs some stability, but also game time. Atlético Madrid must decide quickly what his immediate future holds and allow him to settle to continue his development.