Atlético, a half-hour plan to forget

Simeone gives instructions during the derby between Atlético and Real Madrd (1-1) played last Sunday at the Wanda.JAVIER SORIANO / AFP

An hour of undeniable dominance in the derby brought Atlético closer to delivering a hand blow to LaLiga.

Half an hour of collapse, especially offensive, aborted that possibility.

In that space of time, Simeone's team no longer pressed so high and this time the changes in drawing and players that the coach introduced did not prevent the flood and the draw of Real Madrid.

Since Cholo ordered the change to the defense of three centrals (m. 68) until Madrid's draw, Atlético could only step on the area with two gallops from Llorente.

Meanwhile, Zidane's team tested Oblak with a long shot from Valverde and a direct free kick from Benzema.

The Frenchman, in addition to the goal, before the double occasion that uncovered the miraculous version of the Slovenian goal, had another one on the edge of the area.

The lost opportunity and the erosion that the neighbor always generates for him to beat a game in the final minutes, has generated a hard digestion of the derby for Atlético.

Simeone and his players have been busy reinforcing themselves with his authoritarian first hour of play.

Beyond having mobilized, hand in hand with the club, to counteract Madrid's complaints about Felipe's hand not being punished with a penalty by the referee, after reviewing the VAR, the lament for lost chances is what has been most verbalized by the technician and players in their analysis.

Atlético found it difficult to get into the last third of the match with the feeling that they could have reached that stage with a more definitive advantage.

The derby began to stop being so inclined for the rojiblancos as soon as Correa wasted, just after sixty minutes, a volley that hit peaked, according to Simeone, because the spotlights dazzled his striker.

Atlético did not finish off again.

Three minutes before the Argentine's blunder, Simeone had made his first change, Saúl for Lemar (d. 57).

The move had been the coach's first to start playing with the revenue from Luis Suárez's fine goal.

Before, Zidane had already made a move with the entry of Valverde and Vinicius by Asensio and Rodrigo.

Simeone's response was to strengthen the midline.

That first relief in the rojiblanco eleven did not imply a change of drawing, but it did imply a change in the profile of the player chosen to form a couple, in attack, with Luis Suárez, and become the fifth midfielder in defense.

That variant was already applied by Simeone with Raúl García.

The ownership of Lemar in that position was rehearsed on Friday in the privacy of the Metropolitan.

It was his big bet for the derby together with the return to a line of four defenders.

Neither did Cholo immediately change the scheme with the entry of João Félix (m. 63) for Carrasco, in a change that involved two offensive players.

He chose the Belgian to be substituted, although physically Correa already looked exhausted.

He starred in two turnovers with everything in his favor to deliver the ball well as a result of exhaustion.

One of them threw one against clara overboard and the other generated a double chance for Benzema who, if not for the draw, would have elevated Oblak as the final hero of Atlético within a very Simeone script.

The move to the defense of three centrals was ordered by Simeone five minutes after the entry of João Félix.

With this new disposition, he played the rest of the game, except for five minutes in which he recovered the defense of four to send Saúl behind Suárez again to further shield the center and placed João Félix as the fifth midfielder from the left.

With the entry of Kondogbia (m.80) and yes by the squeezed Correa, Simeone returned to establish the defense of five that had generated so many doubts in recent games.

And with it he conceded the tying goal that marked the half hour and the plan to forget.