Luis fulfills dreams: Will Suarez lead Atletico to the championship? | Israel today

On his fantasies Suarez has already been marked "V" • At the beginning of the season he was released from Barcelona and answered those of Atletico Madrid coach Diego Simeone • Tonight (22:30) they host Sevilla

• Suarez.

  In the right place - period

  Photography: 

  AFP

Florian Legen thought he had managed to stop Luis Suarez.

The clock at Mendicorza Stadium showed 90 minutes, during which Deportivo Alavés' French stopper prevented Atletico Madrid's Uruguay from approaching Pacheco's goal.

The result was 1: 1, and just then the Colchoneros went out for a final attack.

The ball moves to the left, Suarez escapes to Lejn for the first time in the game - and he pushes Joao Felix's cross ball from a meter inside. 

It was the striker's only kick to the goal, and it is also the one that arranged for Diego Simeone's team a 2: 2 victory that brings them to the important game tonight (Tuesday, 22:30, ONE) against Sevilla from first place in the Spanish league table.

"Suarez overall was where a wide striker should be," he said at the end of his Argentine coach, and this sentence has a much broader meaning.

Simeone wanted to say that the Uruguayan striker was in the right place to score this winning goal, but with the season close to its midfield and Atletico looking at the whole league from above, it can be determined that Suarez is in the right place - a point.

The goal against Alabs was his ninth of the season in 12 games in which he has been a partner, and only Leo Messi and Gerard Moreno have scored more than him.

Little Star: Suarez played less of them, and is the only one not to kick penalties. 

On top of that, out of the nine goals he scored, six were those who brought in points or secured a win.

In his age and physical condition, Suarez is not built to bombard amounts of goals as he has done in the past, but he is built to give his all for the one goal the team needs.

Suarez needed 13 kicks per goal to score his nine goals, seven of which were scored with one touch and five with his weak left foot.

As Simeone said - Suarez knows how to be there, and it is clear that Atletico players know how to find him.

Converts efforts to points

The Argentine coach fantasized a lot of time about Suarez in his team.

Since the days of Radamel Falcao who left in 2013 and Diego Costa who finished his first and successful term in 2014, the Colchoneros have not found a striker who will convert all their efforts into points.

There were Jackson Martins, Kevin Gmeiro, Albero Murata, Luciano Vito, Mario Manzukic, once again Costa, even Fernando Torres in an exciting comeback.

Some were more successful, the majority less successful, but no one was what Simeone was looking for.

"El Cholo" wanted a pioneer with receipts and teeth, one who brings degrees rather than compliments.

So when Barcelona decided this summer to put Uruguay on the shelf - for professional or social reasons, whatever the stupid reason may be - Simeone jumped at the bargain immediately.

"What can you say when such an opportunity suddenly comes up?" He wondered aloud, "his numbers speak for themselves, this is a player of 25 goals on average per season."

Only three players have come close to that number in Simeone's Atletico.

Costa, Falcao and Antoine Griezmann are the only ones to have scored more than 20 goals a season under the Argentine, and whenever that has happened - Atletico have won the title or at least fought for it.

Suarez at a rate of 20 goals, and the question arises: Is he - who was released from Barcelona and arrived on a free transfer - able at the age of 33 to take the Colchoneros to his first championship since 2014?

"Management is considering whether to bring in another striker," Simeone replied when asked about the departure of Diego Costa, "but we may not bring in anyone."

The other half of the answer makes a lot of sense.

Suarez is exactly what Atletico and Simeone were looking for, no less and no more, and if there is no one on the market as good as him or her - they do not bring.

In the meantime, Atletico players will continue to do everything - running, pressing, raising and delivering - everything, so that Suarez continues to be in the right place for him, and for them.