In a seen and not seen, Simeone has been left without Savic, Hermoso and Kondogbia due to injury. That is to say, without a central defender (who is serving a sanction at the same time), another who was until recently and the resource for when a patch was needed behind. The defense has been left with what is fair and that puts Felipe in the spotlight, who will be the starter again together with Giménez. The Brazilian is the third center-back and against Betis he has to take a step forward. An opportunity to vindicate yourself and make you forget the bad feelings of performances not so far away.
The direct red card he saw against Getafe (February 12) was another stick for the footballer’s recent career. What’s more, the returns of Giménez and Savic plus the arrival of Reinildo, already settled in the team, they have closed the door of eleven. But Simeone has given him certain signs of confidence and he has had opportunities from the bench in recent weeks. in Pamplona, when Giménez felt discomfort, Felipe entered the field.
The future at Atlético, in the air
Felipe, 32, is one of the rojiblancos who Contract ends in June like Herrera (who is going to the United States), Vrsaljko and Luis Suárez. And of them, the center back was not long ago the one that seemed closest to continuing. In autumn, the club made a move to talk about a renewal for two more seasons, until 2024. The player’s performance in recent weeks has been intermittent, leaving doubts, but the entity trusts the player for the 22-23 project. However, Felipe is also receiving calls from Brazil: Atletico Mineiro, Flamengo and Corinthians, the team from which he jumped to Europe.
So far this season, Felipe has played 1,571 minutes, spread over 22 games, 17 of them as a starter. He is the thirteenth most used footballer by Simeone, behind Hermoso, Giménez and Savic among others. The center adds two goals (Osasuna and Sevilla), one assist (Levante) and two direct reds (Liverpool and Getafe). These last two photos left the Brazilian in a bad way. That is why now, with his present in doubt and his future in the air, Felipe has to take advantage of this train and follow the path of the Lodi, Herrera, Vrsaljko… who are taking advantage of the opportunitybecause there may not be many more this season…