The international break has brought great news for Simeone. The return to the group of Llorente and Lemar It allows the coach to recover two capital players in his scheme, two very starters who were vital in the center of the field for the title of the last League.
The team has suffered his absence, without two decisive players and who, with very different characteristics, are essential to maintain the balance of the team and give it a mordant attack from the second line. Without them, Simeone had to reinvent himself by forming a new tactical system with three forwards, with Luis Suárez as a fixed point lead and Griezmann behind along with João Félix or Correa, an offensive section that left very good feelings in the rival field, but the defensive problems of the team did not allow their good performances to have a prize in the form of victories.
Between the last two international breaks, Atlético played six games and managed to score 12 goals, four of them from Griezmann, three from Suárez, one from João Félix and one from Cunha (Carrasco, Pezzella on his own and Vrsaljko scored the rest) showing that the men at the top are in tune, but conceding in turn another 12 goals and adding a single victory that make the situation untenable. And despite the fact that the presence of three forwards in the eleven has not led to more chances for the rival, since Atlético is the LaLiga team that receives the fewest shots on goal, the figures behind may cause a return to the system that last season won the league title.
Although Llorente can be forced into the right lane due to Trippier’s injury, De Paul looks more and more like the spectacular midfielder of the Argentine team and with Koke as a fixed, Lemar’s entry to eleven could be produced by one of the players above, thus reinforcing the line of three midfielders. The Frenchman has grown a lot as an interior, with two companions in the middle to be able to deploy in attack and becoming a beacon for the team when it comes to breaking lines with his imbalance, dribbling, driving and vision of the game. Llorente, for his part, was the rojiblanco’s second top scorer in the 2020-21 campaign thanks to his arrival, power in the race, ability to appear in the area and shot.
Simeone has very difficult to accommodate all his offensive talent in the eleven. Returning to a line of four in defense is another of the variants that Cholo maintains, but with that system, the presence of Carrasco closer to the area is another dagger for Atlético. Griezmann looks more and more like what he was, John Felix has been recovering his best version with the ball, Suárez is fireproof and Correa never gives up. What’s more, With a quest to seize every opportunity you have on the lawn. Simeone can be seen before the dilemma of fitting in Lemar, who was being one of the best players of the season and seems indisputable in the eleven, undoing the line of three forwards. The French, on the other hand, He can also play as a left lane when Carrasco is not available, but it is not the position that favors him the most.
A headache for Cholo, but the dream of every coach due to the large number of variants in attack. If Llorente can also adapt to a double pivot with Koke or De Paul, although losing part of his arrival as it happens as a lane, The Madrilenian has, like Lemar, his ideal position in that medium of three with freedom to be constantly deployed in attack. Trident in attack, trio in the middle or 4-3-3 with Carrasco in any offensive section, Simeone’s doubt after recovering two players whose return is the great news for Atlético in the break.