Casualties due to physical problems, list that Diego Costa joined, and the impossibility of having Kondogbia in the Champions League caused Simeone to have to opt for an eleven almost traced to the one who defeated Barcelona last Saturday, no option to rotate. The entry of Lodi in the place of Hermoso was the only novelty of the rojiblanco team, which returned to the academic 4-4-2 and jumped to the green with the idea of sending in the match and pressing the Russian ball exit very high. Lokomotiv again had their wall in Guilherme in the goal, as had already happened in the first leg, something that was frustrating the Atlético players, who were also noticing the load of minutes as the match passed. The tie complicates the team's aspirations to be in the eighth of the Champions League. The absence of a '9' is very noticeable.
Oblak: He didn't have to act once in the entire first half. In minute 77 he made his first and only intervention, with a shot that he bagged between his hands. When he had to search for his teammates at length there was no reference that could be made with the aerial balls. First clean sheet in the Champions League.
Trippier: Again, very incisive in attack, opening the field a lot on the right and looking for the inside pass for Llorente and Correa, who were unmarked to the space between the left and center back. Without a striker in the area, he understood that the most difficult thing for the defenders was to look for the fast players with balls from below. His appearances in the second half were drastically reduced.
Savic: Lokomotiv proved little behind athletic defense in the first half. He had to be attentive mainly in the aerial balls that were looking for Ze Luís to lower it and wait for his teammates. In attack he had one that took the rear under sticks.
Gimenez: Like Savic, his main concern was to prevent the Russians from running head-to-head, as Atlético placed their ten players on the rival field to seek the goal. Quick to cut, with the entry of Hermoso, a line of three behind was again formed with the Uruguayan of vertex. His header in the last minute of regulation time touched the post.
I gave it: He is alternating the starting position with Hermoso, with the Brazilian participating in the Champions League and the Madrid player in the League. The band went up steadily, although their centers did not find a finisher, since the area players lost by much in centimeters compared to the centrals. He suffered a dangerous slip due to the rain. At the time of the game he left his hole to Hermoso to return to the line of three behind. It's not quite picking up pace this season.
Saul: Without Hermoso from behind forming a line of three centrals, he had to keep his position more fixed in the pivot, since Lodi constantly raised the left wing. Thus he left a great coverage to the Brazilian side to prevent the Russians from planting themselves in superiority in the rival area. More outstanding when it comes to recovering the ball than in its distribution, where he could not break lines or appear in the danger zones. He needed to get more to the rival area in a game where he was little seen.
Koke: Again he tried to be the focus of the team's ball output, but faced with such a closed midfield it was difficult for him to find the gaps and be able to break lines. With the entry of Hermoso, he freed himself from going down so much to receive. He scored taking advantage of a rebound after Carrasco's shot, but the VAR canceled it for offside. It was somewhat fundamental.
Llorente: He tried to strike down the right wing, either looking for movements towards the center or with his diagonals behind the left side to find the bottom line and try his tense center to the penalty spot, as João Félix was close to marking. He also saw the unchecking of Correa, whose shot crashed into Guilherme, just before Llorente himself tried on the goalkeeper's gloves. With the passing of the minutes it was seen that it was fairer than other times after the great effort last Saturday. In the second half he hardly came into play until he was replaced by Lemar with a great mosqueo.
Marcos Llorente, during the match against Lokomotiv.
JESUS ALVAREZ ORIHUELA (DIARIO AS)
Carrasco: Less demanded in defense than against Barcelona, his position this time was on the inside left and not on the lane. He sought to face his peer whenever he could, even daring to try to dribble away in the two against one. It was another of those who crashed with Guilherme in the first half. With Hermoso, he returned to the entire left lane for him, since before there were plays where he seemed to make the same movement as Lodi. He did not tire of trying to get into the area and shoot at goal until he was substituted.
João Félix: Without a point that fixes the centrals it is more difficult for him to appear in that three-quarter field line, although he tried to go down to receive to enter the game continuously. He failed to finish off a tense center from Llorente at the near post as soon as the game started. Together with Correa, he led the pressure to prevent Lokomotiv from getting the ball comfortable, but it was wearing down as the minutes passed. He was not decisive and he was frustrated and exhausted, there are many games in a very short time.
Belt: Without a tip in the team, he returned to act as a false '9'. Great details to dribble with the body in the area and look for the best placed partner. He crashed into Guilherme after a great pass behind Llorente. With the '14' he sought to combine by exploiting the red-and-white right wing, where Kamano suffered a lot while Trippier tried to find the unchecked of the Argentine and Llorente. In the second half he appeared very little, only with a good dribble in the area and a back pass that did not find a partner.
System variation with Hermoso
Lemar: He had half an hour to try to give the team one more gear, but he couldn't. He sought to dribble on the left wing and center from the baseline, but without Suárez or Costa it does not seem like an option where the team can be productive. It does not manage to be differential.
Beautiful: Simeone returned to his league plan, placing the Madrid player on the left, forming a line of three centrals to free the midfielders. Some of his usual passes on the inside to break lines and little else.
Camel: The top of the quarry, recently renewed until 2024, had his debut in the Champions League. He moved up, allowing Correa to fall to the right. He looked for the unmarkings to the penalty spot without receiving the ball.