A champion in distress

The Athletic closed the preseason games with a bittersweet feeling. On the one hand, with the idea that these encounters have come very well to the homegrown, some of whom can help Simeone in an emergency situation. But on the other with the reality that the Cholo has barely been able to count with the football players that they will begin to defend the league title in Vigo. The preseason has been somewhat anomalous and at Atlético they know that the team can have a bad time in these three games in August.

The champion is in trouble and the rojiblanco coach will have to do bobbin lace in these first three games of the championship. Atlético from last year will begin to be seen after the national team break, but first you have to move forward the commitments before Celta, Elche and Villarreal. The advantage is that two of those three games will be played in the Wanda Metropolitan. Already with fans (the number of spectators is not yet known), which will give their people a bonus.

The cholo face the championship without having debuted Trippier, Lodi and Luis Suárez. All three returned on the 2nd and have been working for just over a week. One of the reinforcements, Marcos Paulo, was injured and his future seems far from the rojiblanco first team. And there are important players in that group who are injured.

Philip keep up with him recovery process from the injury suffered right at the start of the America Cup. Nobody wants to rush. João Félix, for his part, also hastens his return after the operation suffered in his battered ankle. On Tuesday he trained alone, a very smooth session in which he even touched the ball. He will not be against Celta and the intention is that he can play a few minutes before the new break arrives. Savic, For his part, he was one of the few of the first team that started the preseason, but he got injured. The defender is already well and everything indicates that he could be for the league debut in Galicia. But he has not been able to dispute even a minute preseason.

Atlético would need these next weeks to put ready to team. But there is no time. The competition begins. And it is possible that the eleven of Vigo differs something that looks like throughout the exercise. Simeone's team will have problems in attack, where they will have to set up an attack with Correa (who also started on day 2) and Marcos Llorente in offensive tasks. Because Luis Suárez will not be much beyond twenty minutes. El Cholo will have to test his wardrobe almost from the beginning competition.