Koke, from the injury… to eleven

Koke comes back tomorrow. The Atlético captain is recovered from his thigh injury and will return not only to the team but also to the eleven. He is a flagship footballer for Simeone and, if he is there, he plays. He has gone down in the last three games (against United in the Champions League, in LaLiga against Celta and Betis). Simeone tried an eleven yesterday in the Atlético session in which his midfield was made up of the captain, Herrera and Rodrigo de Paul. The permanence of the Mexican can give flight to a medium that, with Koke and De Paul, had sown doubts throughout the season. Neither building nor destroying was the definition of him. Koke and De Paul overcome, before each rival. But three games later, the story has completely changed.

Atlético de Madrid counts its games in the League by victories, for the first time this season it linked three in a row and Herrera has given him the rennet and the forcefulness that Simeone spoke at each press conference but it had disappeared, it no longer existed, and the rojiblanco team saw how Barça woke up and came back in the table and how each time they were more teams for a primary objective, that of being among the first fourwhile they, those of Cholo, paled.

The second field player with the most minutes

But Koke is Koke. Koke is the footballer who runs the most in each game, who wears out the most, who has no feet, has flashlights on his boots and, although this is not his best season, or is the grayest of the last, he is always Koke and always sum. That is why his ownership is non-negotiable for Cholo. The captain is the second outfield player with the most minutes (2,403′) of the red and white squad, behind Oblak (3,330′) and Carrasco (2,556′) and that Koke has missed six games, between injuries and the coronavirus. Koke returns and, with Koke, life is always better, even if it’s grayer, even if he doesn’t live his best season, minutes. Many seasons ago he showed that it can be noticed when he is but above all it is noticed when he is not. Atleti in his absence has begun to fly. Koke returns to further enhance the duel.