Axel Witsel The Latest Player To Rock The Boat At Atletico Madrid With Demand For Game Time
Despite a clause in his contract recently extending Axel Witsel’s stay at Atlético Madrid by another year until 2024, the Belgium midfielder seems unhappy, as his father Thierry claimed in an interview in Belgium.
The veteran came to the Spaniards on a free transfer from Borussia Dortmund in the summer of 2022 and has already played more than 2,000 minutes after becoming a regular in the starting XI in the first half of the season.
However, he started just three of Atlético’s 11 games in calendar year 2023 and has fallen out of favor with coach Diego Simeone, causing problems for the 34-year-old midfielder.
Witsel’s father spoke up
“When he left Dortmund and went to Madrid, Axel expected to become a regular,” his father Thierry told RTBF in Belgium. “And early in the season he was. Mostly in central defence, because that’s where we needed him the most. Several injury-related absences and many compliments on his performances.
“He didn’t take well to being relegated to the bench, although of course he didn’t show it away. Axel continued to train to perfection,” his father added. “He has an exceptional work culture, à la Cristiano Ronaldo. The coach congratulated him on that. But that doesn’t comfort the competitor that he is.”
“At 34 he’s still hungry, he wants to play,” he continued. “So he asked Diego Simeone to meet him and expressed his disappointment and dissatisfaction … Even at 34, Axel still wants and can play at a high level. If he’s not doing enough and he’s not happy, we’ll look at the opportunities that arise.”
competition for places
Witsel is just one of several midfielders Diego Simeone has available and it’s no surprise the Argentina manager is struggling to even the minutes with so many options and only LaLiga in the cards after falling out of the Champions League and the Copa del eliminated Rey.
Captain Koke remains a regular alongside world champion Rodrigo de Paul and 2018 world champion Thomas Lemar, while youngster Pablo Barrios and fellow Atlético player Saúl Ñíguez have both increased their minutes since the turn of the year. Geoffrey Kondogbia is another option at center whose minutes have been drastically cut of late.
As Witsel’s father himself admits, the number of minutes available also suffers from Mario Hermoso’s return to defensive form. This leaves the Belgian with only limited options despite the contract extension.
follow me Twitter or LinkedIn.