Simeone's ideal plan, the one with which Atlético fired, spun one victory after another and stood out at the top, uses two lanes, but not just any. El Cholo changed the system to, among other things, take advantage of the virtues and cover the defects of Trippier and Carrasco in the bands. And lately he hasn't been able to count on either one, but he's confident that both are ready for Sunday's derby. This Wednesday, in the first training session to prepare him after the day off, the coach will begin to sketch his eleven.
Carrasco recovers from a strong blow he suffered in Granada and the one who is having a harder time getting well more than expected. He has four sessions ahead of him to rejoin and confirm that he can be in tune to receive Madrid.
Trippier, twelve games out
In the case of Trippier inactivity may weigh more, but it clearly points to eleven, because Simeone has missed him a lot (and some companions more still). The Englishman has just served the ten-week sanction imposed by the English Federation for a gambling case and which he only got rid of for Atlético-Sevilla (January 12) because he got the precautionary statement. Until this Sunday, by the way, that game it was the last time Oblak had been able to keep a clean sheet. Total twelve lost encounters.
In the last days the right back you have been performing individualized tasks due to discomfort, but today he is expected with the group. Yesterday, although the team rested, he did go to Cerro del Espino to work on its set-up.
Llorente and Lemar, away from the bands
The presence of Carrasco and Trippier, in addition to their own performance, is positive because improves your peers. For example, to Llorente, that he forgets that role on the wing and, in addition, knows how to exploit the passes into the space of the Englishman. Something similar happens to him to Lemar, who moves away from the band if Carrasco is there, and he performs better in the center. The Frenchman, by the way, is also recovering from a blow he took in La Cerámica. And both lanes are dangerous from set pieces. Simeone turns eleven, but two good news comes to him.