Thomas Lemar is one of the revelations of the season at Atlético. From almost evicted to indisputable for Simeone, with a performance in midfield that everyone expected. The 25-year-old footballer has given an interview to France Football where he analyzes this transformation and looks to the future.
Moments of doubts at Atlético
“There was a lack of adaptation on my part. I said so. It has taken me a long time to adapt to Atlético's system and style of play. Now that I understand and understand everything better, things are much better. I feel like I have this DNA in me. I have in me that fight for all the balls, that I am a conqueror, that I always want to win, that I am always under pressure, that I am always in duels, that I always play forward. That is Atlético. And now that I have understood and assimilated all that, I am giving it my all and he is doing quite well on the field in recent months. I'm very happy”.
Hard work
“When I finished training, I would go home, work, force myself to do extra sessions. Confinement allowed me to regain shape. I have worked a lot on my weak points. I wanted to focus on my work to play again, have more fun, get back to my level and play for Atlético. It was up to me. He couldn't blame anyone. I was the one on the field. “
Conversations with Simeone
“I have talked a lot with the coach. He asked me what we could do to improve my situation. He heard me, I heard him, always I told him I was an axis player, inside. Afterwards, if I put myself on the left, I would give my best, without problems. On the right, the same. But I felt more comfortable in the center. I wanted to rediscover my style, my way of playing. This change to the environment allows me to be more free, rediscovering my phases of play, I can go left, right, hold the ball, touch it more often, instead of once every fifteen minutes on one side. “
Another challenge: the Euro
“The French team is very important to me. I used to go there. Now I have to not be in Clairefontaine with my teammates. But it also pushed me a lot. I really want to go back there, to surpass myself to go back and reach my goal, which is the Euro. I have that goal in the corner of my head. When things were not going well, I thought about it and that pushed me to improve myself even more. I love that blue shirt. “