Simeone regains balance

Atlético recovers lungs in the center of the field. In the last games before the break, rojiblanco moments were experienced with constant ups and downs: goals and stretches of great game mixed with bad retreats on their own field and an astonishing ease to fit in at each arrival of the rival. All this coupled with poor results, since in the six games played between the two international brakings there was only one victory (3-0 against Betis).

But Simeone has Lemar and Llorente back in search of finding that longed-for harmony and the first few changes he plans to place them in the eleven against Osasuna. Although it may be more fun for a neutral fan to see Atlético go bare-chested in matches that are up to the last minute, for the Cholo that restlessness is an ordeal, with the most negative note suffered in Mestalla, where in injury time two points escaped despite arriving with two goals ahead at minute 90 (from 1-3 to 3-3).

Given the very important casualties in the middle, the technician has been varying his tactical systems to to accommodate three forwards in the eleven, with Suárez, Griezmann, João Félix or Correa showing a very good level, but sacrificing a certain balance in the defensive section, since, although Atlético is the team that receives the fewest shots on goal in all of LaLiga, He is also the one who has conceded the most goals at this point with Simeone on the bench. Koke and De Paul have supported the midfield, but Lemar and Llorente are key in Atlético’s scheme.

The Frenchman was practically the best player on the team until his injury in the first half of the game against Real Sociedad. A game before, against Liverpool at home, Llorente had relapsed from his muscular injury suffered against Barcelona. And without its two midfielders, Atlético has lived three draws and one loss in five games. In the return of LaLiga, Cholo could resort to a 4-3-3 to try to add three at a time. Despite Trippier’s injury, Llorente would be in the center of the field with Koke to give muscle and arrival from the second row and Lemar could vary between a position closer to the band or as an interior how much damage he has been doing in a line of three midfielders with which Simeone conquered the last league.

Two luxury reinforcements that Cholo needed as May water and that he will not wait to give them entry as they receive the medical discharge. De Paul returned from Argentina with a significant load of minutes and could wait from the bench despite its enormous growth in recent meetings. With the Argentine already in dynamics and Llorente and Lemar back, Atlético can once again boast of a center of the field of maximum guarantees to find the balance.