Lemar se reengancha

Thomas Lemar does not want to lose the relevance that it has cost him so much to have at Atlético. He knows that he has been growing for two consecutive seasons and it is not the time to stop. And COVID had crossed his path again, as it had a year ago.

A coronavirus that left him out of the game against Osasuna, when the ‘rebellion’ of the deserving began and, although he was able to reach the match against Manchester United, he left him on the bench. AND, while the Lodi, Herrera, Kondogbia and company grew up, the hitherto usual had to take a step back. Lemar added only 37 minutes from his starting role against Levanteuntil he played his turn in the second half of Benito Villamarín. Tello had equalized for Betis just before the break and the Frenchman was one of the few solutions on the Cholo bench to try to bring control, order and something different to the hitherto very imprecise midfield of Atlético.

If Lodi and Carrasco seemed crowded in the same area of ​​the field and the mattress midfielder suffered a lot to control the game, Lemar’s entry served to return to a more recognizable scheme and closer to last season’s. And the Frenchman was able to celebrate his 100th game in LaLiga rounding off a great move by Griezmann to get his fourth goal of the season, stepping on the area from the second line and beating Bravo. Something that already serves to make this 2021-22 campaign Lemar’s highest scorer at Atlético (In his first year he added three goals, none in the second and two in the third). In addition, the Gaul adds six assists, which leads to a global count of ten goals with direct participation.

While your contract renewal is being negotiated (currently ends in 2023)the 26-year-old does not want to be left behind and he took advantage of the opportunity in a key game against Betis to ask for a step back. Simeone needs the entire team plugged in, and once he has overcome the slowdown due to illness and a decline in prominence in the last months of the championship, Lemar knocks on the door again. And there is no better way to do it than with work, calm and responding when it is your turn.