Koke and Yannick Carrasco fuel Atletico Madrid's dream September

Many Atletico Madrid fans would have likely seen their September fixture list and winced. And that was even before the fact Los Rojiblancos had made a sluggish start to the campaign, disappointingly drawing their first two games with promoted sides. Things were only going to get harder.

However, the international break at the end of August came at a perfect time. It allowed Diego Simeone to revise his tactics and team selection and when Atleti returned to action on Sept. 10 for the first of six difficult-looking games that month, they were a changed side. Gone was the cautious approach of four central midfielders, leaving a seemingly unbridgeable gap between defence and attack. What replaced it was a more attacking outlook and things went from strength to strength.

On Wednesday, an impressive 1-0 win over Bayern Munich completed a sensational September for the club, who won five and drew just one of their six games in 18 days. They netted 13 times and conceded just once in that period. Two wins from two allowed them to take hold of their Champions League group, while they are right back in the La Liga mix too.

Having been four points behind Real Madrid and Barcelona, they have reeled the two heavyweights back and now sit just a point behind the Catalans and two behind their city rivals at the top of the table. They even have the almost unprecedented situation of having a better goal difference than Zinedine Zidane’s outfit — 10 to their nine. While that’s not quite as important in La Liga as it is in other leagues, it goes to show how well this side is clicking at both ends of the pitch.

It all began with what was on paper a horrible-looking away trip to Celta Vigo. The Galician outfit are strong at home: their 4-1 demolition of Barcelona last season attests to that. Yet Simeone had a plan. Gone was holding midfielder Augusto Fernandez and in came Yannick Carrasco. The 4-4-2 setup remained, however in possession it was more akin to a 4-3-3 with the Belgian pushing forwards.

It took a while to click. The first half was turgid and goalless, but the second saw Atleti shift through the gears, scoring four times to send out a message to the rest of the league.

One of the most important aspects of this run has been the decision to move Koke more centrally. While doing a good job when playing nominally on the wing and moving infield, he has stepped up a level since being given a permanent position in the middle of the park. “We’ve been working on it for a while,” said Simeone after the Bayern victory when asked about the 24-year-old. “He feels more like the boss with every game and his reading of play continues to improve. He gives us a lot.”

During this run he has scored once and notched two assists and it finally looks as if the player who was tipped for a central midfield berth a number of years ago will finally get what he and many of the Vicente Calderon faithful have craved.

This tactical switch has also helped to accommodate the electric Carrasco. The 23-year-old enjoyed a fine debut season at the Calderon last year and while his final ball and decision making can frustrate at times, he is fundamental to how the side work. His pace and trickery are perfect for games like Bayern last Wednesday, in which he was the match winner. Carrasco can also be instrumental against defensive sides keen to sit back, as he is the perfect type of player to run at them.

With competition for a starting berth from €25 million arrival Nicolas Gaitan and the impressive Angel Correa, the Belgium international is another who has upped his game and seems to be thriving.

As they prepare to face a Valencia side who are a different proposition from the shambles they were a couple of weeks ago, Atleti will need the aforementioned duo to maintain their levels of performance and help complete a perfect three weeks for the club. It will not be straightforward.

The imperious Diego Godin picked up a knock against Bayern and will miss out. With his international teammate Jose Maria Gimenez also injured, that means a lot of responsibility for youngster Lucas Hernandez, who will partner Stefan Savic at the heart of the defence.

The Frenchman was this week nominated for the Golden Boy award and started at Mestalla in a 3-1 victory for Atleti last season. Another result like that would do just fine this weekend before the players jet off to link up with their national sides.

In what had the potential to be a month from hell, it was less a case of wake me up when September ends, in hopes the magical month never would. While the last international break was much needed, this one could not come at a worse time with Atletico flying. Three points would however be the perfect way to round it all off.

Joseph Walker covers Atletico Madrid for ESPN FC. Twitter: @Joe_in_espana.