Atleti boasts a bench

Thomas entered the second half in Getafe and scored, assisted by Vitolo, who had only been in the field for a couple of minutes. On Saturday, against Betis, Costa appeared as a shock … and a goal. The goals of the substitutes are already a trend, especially since the League resumed. Simeone has managed to squeeze the rule of the five changes and has the top scorer of the First. In this ten-day mini-league, the softball players have contributed seven goals and five assists. The importance of playing with 16.

Cholo has always valued the contribution of the players who leave the bench. The “quality minutes” it calls. And in a period in which the physicist has been relevant, he has taken advantage of the depth of his staff, which fortunately have not been affected too much by injuries. Only against Osasuna, Alavés and Barça did not use the five changes. Of 50, he has used 46.

Vitolo, for example, has played six games in this section and has started from the bench in all of them. He is the only one, along with Saponjic, who has not been a starter. As a shock he attended Thomas on Thursday and scored Valladolid with his head. In fact, his three league goals have been coming from the bench. Diego Costa has scored two goals as a substitute (Betis and Alavés) for one as a starter, that of Bilbao. And especially productive was the refreshment unit before Osasuna: Llorente, Morata and Carrasco entered the second half and scored; the last two, in addition, to pass the first.

In this intense section it has become more acute, but before that the contribution of the bench was very important. Thomas, Morata, Correa and João Félix They also scored as substitutes before in the league. AND on the great night of Anfield, In Champions, the goals had to wait for the refreshment players: Llorente, who made two, and Morata were not starters.