Beautiful returns with force

Mario Hermoso has spent a few months with less prominence in the Atlético scheme, where the coronavirus and the good level of Lodi removed that continuity that had been gained with his spectacular evolution since the start of the season. In summer he had been in the market, with Real Sociedad, the next league rival, as one of the most interested in getting his services, but he stayed and with the defense of three centrals he has managed to explode in the rojiblanco system.

However, after starting at Benito Villamarín against Betis, started the matches against Eibar, Huesca and Athletic from the bench, since Simeone returned to a more academic defense of four in his classical system and Lodi constantly climbing the band almost as a winger. But, In the last two appointments, the beautiful, forceful and creative back has been seen again to initiate the attacks that had been glimpsed during much of the course, with special mention of his match at the Camp Nou.

Against Elche he started and Atlético left a clean sheet with a final scare due to the penalty thrown by Fidel at the post, but the red-and-white defense had controlled the Elche attack for the rest of the game. And against Barcelona, ​​the best Hermoso of the season was seen again. Very safe in defensive work, controlling well that band where Messi fell with the collaboration of Carrasco during the start and end of the match and of Saúl after Lemar's injury and also adding in attack.

The Madrilenian returned to exercise as the center-back with more risk in his passes to break lines (Even so, he hit 47 of the 51 passes he tried), generating a lot of danger from behind with several high-level balls into space for Carrasco, thus building a clear play by Llorente that Ter Stegen took out with a good hand down. Hermoso also hurt Barcelona with his rises from behind, controlling very well the moments of the game in which to attack the Blaugrana defense. In a race for power he planted himself in the area and put a great tense center to Correa, whose shot was repelled by Lenglet with his toe when it seemed that he was sneaking into the goal of Barcelona.

Atlético has left a clean sheet in four of its last five games and receives the Real Sociedad aware that winning would significantly bring the league title closer. On the way out, Hermoso opened the scoring with a fantastic header to Carrasco's center in which it is his only goal as a rojiblanco in the league (he had made his debut in the Champions League with another as much capital in Salzburg). Beautiful, what chain eight consecutive days warned of sanction, has regained his place in the rojiblanco defensive system and wants to be the protagonist in the search for the title.

Also, you know that at this end of the year the options of having a place in the next Eurocop are at stakea, where so far it has not entered into the plans of Luis Enrique. In Atlético he has focused his attacks on the left profile, with the presence of an outstanding Carrasco, and he has returned to that tactical system with three behind since Suárez returned, but with Hermoso's ability to fall more on the wing as a normal side. Simeone wants them all to the top and the '22' is ready for this historic end of the season.