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The Atlético of much talk and little to do must disappear

It’s fine with words. It’s time to talk about the field, not just after leaving it. I start this strong because yesterday José María Giménez, one of the captains of Atlético de Madrid, was at the end of the match against Sevilla. A duel that ended 1-1 because Simeone’s team wanted it. Again. Yes, the referee Sánchez Martínez, to whom Giménez also pointed out, seemed to be looking forward to the draw, but hiding behind something foreign again seems more than embarrassing. It doesn’t strain this year.

Eye, I’m not saying all this for Giménez in particular. I say it in general. Like Giménez yesterday Saúl left last year, Koke and Oblak this one, Josema himself, Correa, Savic… they all leave when the games they don’t win end and say that “they don’t understand why things happen” leaving points along the way in matches that dominate when they are intense and lose or tie when they decide to stop being so. If they know what the problem is, they have two options: either they don’t want to or they can’t. If they don’t want to, we’re already talking about a problem of mentality and if they can’t physically, it may be time for Atlético and Simeone to make decisions about physical preparation.

For ‘ho por b’, enough of this Atlético to see them coming and this is the job of Simeone and the players. No one hide behind anyone, please. Personality. And the one or those who can’t stand fighting two years in a row to win titles, thank you and forever. It cannot be that there are soccer players who appear and disappear from one year to another. It just can’t be. This year only three players have kept the level of notable up: Reinildo, Cunha and Carrasco. The rest have danced all year between suspense and approval. If with that balance, Atlético has been among the first four, what could have happened if most of them had had a good season?

Atlético’s big problem is the demand and the ambition, apart from having players who can give a high level for more than one consecutive season. It cannot be that Gil Marín only goes down to knock on the locker room door when he sees that they can finish fifth. If that only happens in that context, the player and the coach, being third, are comfortable and that does not increase the ambition of the group. The rojiblanco team cannot be required to win everything, but they can fight for everything. That should be required. Being in the top four is simply a minimum. Nothing more. I’m fourth and I celebrate. No. You are fourth, you have complied, but you celebrate what is fair and necessary.

Now it’s time to see what Atlético wants this summer. Simeone stays, which is always good news. The stars of it seem that too. With all this, it is the club that must make a move. Do you want a striker who scores 30 or 40 goals or an experiment whose CV does not exceed 15? Do they want a solid defender to shut down the defense or a glancing attempt to hopefully find another Reinildo Mandava? Ambition please. Demand please. It’s worth the repetitive and strange “you have to sell to sign.” And if they can’t, someone come out and explain why after 10 years of cholismo with titles and great economic benefits, Atlético continues to scratch every euro they spend. If you can’t, someone explain it to me. And if it can, let it be done. If you want a 9 that is like Lewandowski, go for him, not for a ‘cousin’ of his who scored 13 goals last year.

This Atlético will touch the glory more times if when they tie a game like yesterday, players are not seen as if nothing happened. Yes, they were already qualified for the Champions League, but they have been seen without too much sadness later in games that have been lost this year due to the same lack of intensity. Where is the rage when you lose? Does it only occur when you can finish fifth? What if they get really mad when they see they’re running second and not getting close to the lead? Seriously, raise the bar ladies and gentlemen. This has already been the course of “I don’t know what’s happening to us.” The course of I almost ran out of Champions. The course of they eliminate me again soon in the Cup. The course of I have not competed in the League. And the course of not fighting the Super Cup and they almost left me out of Europe in the group stage. It’s over. The one that comes will no longer strain.

Gil Marin and Andrea Berta. Simeone. Professor Ortega. Players. Everyone should reflect and a lot. A season like this cannot be repeated. That those at the top give weapons, those in the middle use them well and the players push themselves without hiding behind anyone. Only in this way will Atlético end with much talk and little action.

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