Atlético arrived at the Metropolitano for the first time after losing the Cup final. A defeat on penalties that brought them, along with Elche, to only one victory in the last eight games. It is true that two of the KOs against Tottenham and Barça were sweet as they were enough to advance to the Champions League rounds. But…
But the reality is that Atlético rose from 0-1 against Athletic in a second half that greatly improved the first… but which had disastrous news. It is none other than Pablo Barrios’ injury. The gestures of Simeone taking off his jacket in despair, those of the youth player himself going into the locker room with his head covered… Unmistakable of yet another injury that will leave him, in the absence of evidence, without playing against Arsenal. Better, the athletic key, to have lost the game than to have lost its best medium.
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And may one of the most inexperienced always be one of the best…
Marc Pubill. The one who arrived as a full-back (third) and has ended up being one of the best center backs in LaLiga. The one that never wrinkles nor can matches. The one who plays a final like a clash with nothing at stake: with the knife between his teeth. The one who goes to the crossroads takes the penalty… but manages to get the ball. The one who transmits the most confidence despite being one of the least experienced. So much so that a year ago he was playing in the Second Division and now he seems to be one of Atlético’s biggest guarantees for the Champions League.
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And Lenglet was in the photo again
Again in the photo. And not exactly for the better. We are talking about a Lenglet who has been more in the news this season for his gross mistakes than for his successes. The Frenchman is far from his best level and the loss of Hancko, which has pushed him to the eleven, is exposing the shortcomings of the 15, which remained stuck at 0-1 for Paredes. The worst thing is that the set piece is one of Arsenal’s great weapons… and there mistakes are not worth it.
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This Athletic cannot be so low
Athletic was expected to be one of the entertainers of LaLiga, like last season, but in the end the Champions League weighed on them. It is something common in all teams that, except for the big three, are not used to playing in the top competition. It hasn’t helped that two of their best men, Nico and Sancet, haven’t been anywhere near their best. In any case, a team with this potential and punch cannot be that far from the top of the table. LaLiga needs him.
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In memory of Mary
From the southern bottom, the one that we so often criticize for behavior far from sportsmanship, today they did have a detail that must be rescued. We are talking about the banner in memory of María, the young red and white fan, who died a few days ago. “María, the Atlético family does not forget you” was the beautiful gesture of the fans for a little fan who made headlines for her fan of the red and white team and who will continue cheering from the third amphitheater. RIP.
