Marcos Llorente was a lion caged in Bucharest. The 14 He is one of the most decisive players in Atlético, one of the best in the League, but against Chelsea he could hardly do any damage. He sacrificed himself for the team. The casualties of Trippier and Vrsaljko They have pushed him to the right side and from there it is difficult for him to be decisive, as when he starts from the interior and throws unmarkings and drives to the bottom line. Simeone assumes that this decision limits Llorente, but he resigns himself because he understands that there is no better option either.
The Madrilenian was part of that defensive line, sometimes five, sometimes six, very far from Mendy. The numbers indicate how little aggressive it could be in attack. He only touched the ball 28 times in the opposite field and, of them, only one in the Chelsea area. After the meeting, Simeone analyzed the performance de Llorente and de Lemar, in a similar situation but in the other profile: “Their positions are not where they perform better or where they feel better, but I understood that they had to play and fulfill that effort they made to help the team.” Both fought to cover spaces and control the attackers of the Chelsea bands, but it was difficult for them to shine in what they do best, with the ball and looking forward. Lemar, at least, did have a chance to score, but Llorente could not even put together a shot.
Circumstances take him away from the area and there is no no sign of the total midfielder who has nine goals and eight assists so far this season. In other words, Llorente He's the one who's missing Trippier the most. She longs for him from day one, because the Brit was the one served him the best passes and who understood his unchecks inside out. But he has also had to cover his absence because Cholo, who also waits with open arms for Trippier, assumes that Llorente is now the best idea, due to his discipline and his physical display. Vrsaljko falls off the computer too often, Gimenez he's also injured and they've even tried Ricard Y strap. Against Villarreal the dilemma about Llorente will be repeated.