“Goool, gooolWhen Atlético trains, that is the scream that resonates the most in Cerro del Espino. The voice of Cholo. Asking for that: goal, goal, goal. For much of this season, it was a chain in the foot, matchday after matchday equaling the worst record for the club. 16 goals in 16 league games, 22 goals in 21, 0-0 three times (Celta, Madrid, Valladolid) in the first ten games. When the coronavirus lowered the curtain on the competition for three months, Atlético had accomplished the feat at Anfield, eliminate Liverpool in eighths but I was still far from what I really needed in the League: being among the top four finishers, the gateway to the next Champions League (it was 6th).
And all because in part it weighed down that lack of goal. 31 in 27 days, an average of 1.14 per game, nine games to nil, dry. Getafe and Real Sociedad above. Atlético missing more scoring chances than any other team: 39 were ending January, according to Opta. Nonsense. And Simeone hoarse, session after session. Not at all.
But confinement, everything changed.
Because June came and LaLiga returned and, although Atleti still returned with vices of old normality (they added their 13th draw of the season in San Mamés), these remained there. Atlético who emerged after three days was sewing his fluffy mattress on the podium, on his bronze seat in LaLiga, calm. But it is that Atlético has found a goal. Have been 15 in the eight games played after the break, raising the average to almost two per match, and with many scorers. Eight in total (Costa, Morata, João Félix, Marcos Llorente, Vitolo, Koke, Saúl and Carrasco).
But there is more: all his attacking footballers have participated in a goal (Correa for example has given it even though he has not scored it) except Lemar and Saponjic. Before the break, they had to spend 13 days in the League to find eight different scorers at Atlético. Now in eight that number has already been reached. The weight of the goals is still on the legs of Morata: If in those first 13 days he accumulated five, he has three in the last two games and 16 in total, three of his record, the one he achieved at Real Madrid in the 2016-17 season (19). But now, at least, it seems he is more accompanied by truth.
If he has four in this period after the break, Costa has two, João Félix the same while Saúl's are already three. Llorente, Carrasco, Vitolo and KokeIn addition, they have contributed one each. The chains have been broken, they no longer weigh down, although in the training sessions at Cerro del Espino that scream continues to be heard on the other side of the tarps, goool, goool, now has a reflection in the field.
The scorers of the Cholo post-stop
1. Morata: Add four goals in this period. He scored against Osasuna, Mallorca (two, one penalty) and Celta.
2. Saul: He is the second top scorer of the Cholo post-stop with three goals: two to Barça (one from a penalty) and another to Alavés.
3. Coast: There is no better news for Cholo than to see him recover his sense of smell. Two goals. Athletic and Alavés. He also missed a penalty at the Camp Nou.
4. João Félix: Osasuna shone at 0-5 with a double. Total eight.
5. Llorente: Anfield's hero remains so in LaLiga. He scored against Osasuna.
6. Carrasco: Go back to being that different player you conquered in 2015-16. Goal against Osasuna. Differential.
7. Vitolo: His was the goal that broke the scoreboard against Valladolid to give Atlético the victory.
8. Koke: The captain scored against Mallorca. It takes four in total. And six assists.