More Simeone than ever in this new (old) Atlético de Madrid that opens with defeat

One more year, and there are 12, Atlético de Madrid begins the preseason with Diego Pablo Simeone in charge and Cholo, more established than ever after the hesitations of the last season, has decided to be true to himself, to his style. Atético does not change and he has nothing to do it with. At the moment, at the Seoul Stadium, they have started with a 2-3 defeat against the K-League team.

The team is clearly committed to quick transitions, perhaps because it is their safest bet for this year. Several of them were the cause of the biggest chances for the rojiblanco team starting with the first goal. Theft of Samu Lino, ball for Thomas Lemar and the Frenchman, in a dizzying drive, combines with Griezmann whose shot is repelled by goalkeeper Lee Chang, ball returned to Lemar and goal. Play of three touches and 10 seconds.

Samu Lino, the Brazilian on loan to Valencia last season and who, at the beginning of this preseason, was outside Atlético de Madrid, was a cyclone on the left wing. In attack and defense, the 23-year-old was one of the most outstanding players in Simeone's team. His connections with Griezmann generated a lot of danger in the Korean team that, it must be said, was very soft in defense.

In fact, his facilities when leaving the ball were another weapon for Simeone's team. Atlético, on many occasions in the game, did not have to build, just wait for the rival to give them the ball and it was not on a few occasions. The problem is that it cost a lot to materialize them.

The rojiblancos continue to have a great lack up front that Álvaro Morata's animosity does not solve. The man from Madrid scored three times, but they were all annulled for offside. What has been said, there are things in Atlético that do not change. The number 19 also had an opportunity with a header from a corner, but it ended up repelled by the crossbar.

The issue of corners was not new. Atlético had many and finished them all. Morata, Hermoso, Savic, Mouriño… all headers with more or less difficulty, but all ended up in the hands of the goalkeeper of the K-League team. Atlético imposed their height, but that was not enough to take off on the scoreboard and closed the first half with a meager 1-0.

korean change

The Korean team, by the way, who came out with a different mood in the second half. Much more aggressive on the ball and generating more things in attack thanks to changes made by coach Sung Min Lee. The coach changed the 11 players and, on the first occasion they had, it was inside. Frontal free kick, bad start by young Antonio Gomis and goal by Kryvotsyuk. 1-1 and the entire second half ahead.

With a more daring Korean team, Atlético lacked creation in the midfield. He could not, because he did not know, because perhaps he does not have the players to build. Barrios and Saúl do not have the imagination of Griezmann or De Paul, nor their experience. And that ended up paying for an Atético who could not get past the draw against the Korean team.

Beyond the debut of some catneranos like Carlos Martín or Gismera, Cholo had little new to do on the field. At least from the medullary upwards. Although it must be recognized that Martín, the one he had, transformed it. After a somewhat lucky play by Correa, the 21-year-old was where he needed to be, scoring to put Atlético ahead with a goal from a true nine.

weak defense

However, the back of the rojiblanca defense was a drag. In the first half, Witsel, a player who this year, and even more after Giménez's injury, looks like he will repeat as a central defender, made several errors that his speed prevented them from being greater. Mouriño, on the other hand, a debutant in the Cholo team, was not so lucky.

The young Uruguayan central defender, who Cholo wanted to try as a winger, put his hand in to try to win the position after an error throwing the rojiblanca defense offside, and that hand brushed the face of Gerso Fernández, winger of the Korean team. The referee saw the action punishable. Penalty and goal from Palocevic.

But things were likely to get worse. Barely two minutes later, a ball poorly cleared by the Atlético defense reached Lee Son's boots, who beat Gomis with a shot from outside the area and overcame the adverse result.. Tough defeat for a Simeone team that clearly went from more to less.

It gives the impression that this year's squad is going to fall short for the remainder of the season. With a Joao Félix who does not count for Simeone and who was absent today due to alleged muscular discomfort, the team lacks imagination up front. The new signings are going to contribute a lot in defense, but someone is missing to help generate play up front.

Atlético, for the moment, is looking for a midfielder and remains expectant about what will happen with Álvaro Morata and Joao Félix, two players who have one foot outside the rojiblanco team. If they left, they would go for a nine, despite the flashes of young Martín. The question is: who will pass the balls to that nine?