In the best play of the game, between Pablo Barrios, Almada, Baena, Julián Álvarez He finished the stick. He mediated the second part and it would have been 0-2 for Atlético de Madrid, close the match and write chronicles in which it would be said that this year Simeone has players to make a high-level football and to win games. Because Almada It sounds good and Baena makes sense of almost everything and Julián Álvarez He is a decisive soccer player, who launches fouls like few right now. But Atlético de Simeone, who won much of the meeting, ended up losing him when he seemed to have him in his hand.
The changes, decisive
The changes of Manolo González gave better results than those he did Simeone. They left Almada and Baena And the team went out more tired than the opponent and with the feeling that the game was long, while Espanyol grew and grew and played its letters much better. Your letters?: Balls to the area. In one of the changes, the Spanish coach put in the field a Kike Garciathat globetrotter that verticalizes the teams and that almost forces colleagues to look for balls to the area and also, Manolo González put in the field Pere Milla And there he began to win what he had lost.
He put him in the field just after the tie of the tie Espanyolwhich radically changed the fate of the party. Before, Atlético was better, without hurry, without great occasions, but with ease and eager to play. Almada and Baena give another color to this equipment and its connection with Julián Álvarez It can become a more than interesting triangle. Although the defeat may change the plans of Simeone. The truth is that with all three in the field and without tiredness, Espanyol was lower. Although he tried to dominate at the start of the game, the Athletic He matured better and took the controls. He lacked to finish, more mordant, what can be a problem on the long road that awaits him, but was, in general, a team to attack, with the ball and to which the wonderful fault of Julián Álvarez He put ahead.
He did not close behind after, what is already good news. In the break Simeone changed the center of the countryside, removed Cardoso and Gallagher To put to Neighborhoods already Koke. The first made it clear that it will be the couple of Cardoso In the center of the countryside, because it was the one who energized his teammates. There was no color in the game. Espanyol’s plan was to send balls up, to its strikers and start the fight near the area of Oblakbut the truth is that the clash was in the direction that put Neighborhoods.
A Lack of Marcos Llorente
But the changes from the bench changed the trend and a lack of Marcos Llorente In a silly play, closer to the center of the field than in his area was what made the game begin to escape the Athletic. Edu Expósito put the ball on the exact site of the area in which he had to put it and the defense Miguel Rubio came down to finish it. I may Scraper knows to partis of that play who is Simeoneit is not much risky if we bet on a anger of the Argentine coach to his signing for not following the brand.
Everything that was controlled, and was not. Neighborhoods lost the ball and enthusiasm and Athleticalready with Griezmann and Sorloth In the countryside it did not reach the rival area. He stopped playing.
In it Espanyol Everything was enthusiasm and sometimes it can be enough to turn a situation, to get the game and get to victory. It was not the most delicate football that of the team of Manolo Gonzálezbut it was tremendously effective. The victory goal does not even come from a chance, seen calmly, you cannot consider a danger play. Because the center from the right wing fell short and low, difficult or almost impossible to Pere Millabut the footballer of the Espanyol He did the only thing that could be done: a strange shot, in a parable, which got into the squad of Oblak.
Simeone I couldn’t believe it. Now he has to decide whether he is committed to the best thing that was seen or gives him the ease with which he received the goals.