The elimination of
Atlético de Madrid
before him Chelsea, in the round of 16 of the Champions League will leave for the mattress team a series of questions, consequences, that will accompany the rojiblanco team in the remainder of the season. Simeone always defends that evaluations have to be made at the end of the course. We will then see what this campaign has given of itself.
1- EFFORT FOCUSED ON LALIGA
Obviously, the first consequence, the immediate one, is that when Athletic there is only one open front, which is that of The league. The message of the dressing room in this sense, has been to reinforce the position of the team in the face of what is to come in this tournament.
The Athletic has done a season in The league but in recent days it has faltered. They have lost 11 points in the last eight games. There are only four left over a strong player Barça and six on him Real Madrid.
2- LESS MINUTES FOR THE TEMPLATE
With one less competition there are fewer games. As happened after the elimination of the Copa del Rey, one of the concerns of the coaching staff is that opportunities are reduced for a squad that is large. “What hurts me the most about the elimination of Cup, beyond being left out, is that it was a tournament where there could be minutes for those who are having the least ”, he explained Simeone a few months ago after the cupbearer goodbye.
A statement that is valid for this current context, in which players like Torreira, Vrsaljko, Lodi, Vitolo, Herrera or even Kondogbia they already have very little presence. With one game per week, except for setbacks, the contribution of many will be residual.
3- ECONOMIC AND RANKING IMPACT
For him Atlético de Madrid, being among the eight best on the continent was a matter of sporting and economic prestige. Right now, the rojiblanco team is already sixth in the classification of the UEFA, has lost its place to the benefit of Manchester City, which has been the last to surpass him.
He does some courses on Athletic he even got to be second, although his usual position was fourth. However, the latest eliminations have dislodged him from privileged positions. It is not ruled out that this season ends even lower, because the PSG is near. An issue that has to do with inclusion in the raffle drums but also with the economic distribution by results.
In addition, the rojiblanco team is unable to continue adding economic awards for their performance in this course, something that was important due to the current situation of financial decline caused by the crisis of the Covid.
4- THE WOUND OF LUIS SUÁREZ
The London party left an issue few expected, the replacement of Luis Suarez half an hour to go, when the Athletic he needed two goals to pass. After the game, Simeone explained the reason for the change of the Uruguayan striker. “Because I believed what I showed, that putting Llorente Y Saul in bands, Lemar in the middle, strap giving it dynamics and giving the possibility to Dembélé playing forward more Joao we could distribute the attack with more dynamics and not pile up forwards ”.
It is evident that the Uruguayan did not like his sudden departure, beyond the fact that he had the decency not to show it. “It is normal that the footballer wants to continue playing,” said the coach about the supposed anger of Luis Suarez for the change.
An issue that we will see if it hurts the team because if things go well, no one will have a problem, but if The league supposes a new frustration, we will see what happens. And it is that we do not forget that the Uruguayan has the power to abandon the Athletic at the end of the course, unilaterally.
5- JOAO FÉLIX'S BET
One of the few good news from the London match was the good performance of Joao
Felix. He was the only one who was saved from burning in 'Stamford Bridge' actually. The Luso threw the team on his back and was the only one who seemed to put Chelsea in slight trouble. Simeone He spoke of him several times at the end of the crash.
“The meeting of Joao it was for my taste very good, in all respects, in regularity, in continuity of play, in responsibility for how to play the game “, said the coach, who perhaps exaggerated when saying that” he was possibly the best since he was in the game. Athletic”From the Portuguese.
6- THE NTH CHAMPIONS FRUSTRATION
If you ask fans of the Atlético de Madrid what competition they are excited to win, it would be strange if the vast majority did not answer that it is the Champions League. And it is that the scar of the two lost finals in this recent time, continues to hurt.
It is the great illusion of the mattresses. However, this Atlético who arrived at those appointments did so with a strength and a conviction that the rojiblanco team does not have now. It is true, last season the Liverpool, champion of Champions; but it is also true that he was eliminated before a Leipzig that it was not by far one of the strongest teams in the competition.
And what of Chelsea of this course has confirmed that the Athletic It is no longer one of the 'coconuts' of the Champions as much as it hurts. With the growth and strengthening of the English and German teams, that dreamed end of the European cup in which to redeem yourself seems further away than ever.
The team of Simeone
it has been left out of the quarterfinals in three of the last four editions.