Simeone, Suarez, Oblak… The men of the Atlético title

At the end of an exciting final sprint, Atlético Madrid broke the hegemony of Real and Barça in La Liga to ascend the throne of Spain on Saturday, a return to the top built around his coach-totem Diego Simeone, his impassable goalkeeper Jan Oblak and his rookie-star Luis Suarez.

Here are the key men of Atlético Madrid's title of champion of Spain.

Diego Simeone

Great wizard of Atlético for nearly a decade after having been a framework player (he will celebrate his ten years at the head of the Rojiblancos in December, unique longevity for a European club of this standing), Diego Simeone reinventing to once again hoist Atlético to the top of Spain, seven years after the 2014 title. The Argentine technician, renowned for his closed, defensive and unspectacular style of play, had kept hammering in 2019-2020 that it was a transition season, after the departures of many executives (Diego Godin, Antoine Griezmann, Lucas Hernandez ...). And this season, he dared to juggle the positions of some players (Marcos Llorente, Thomas Lemar, Joao Felix) and ventured to break his usual 4-4-2 in favor of more innovative patterns,to three central defenders for example, with success.

Luis Suarez

Recruit-star of the offseason, Luis Suarez did not take long to prove himself in the Spanish capital: from the first day of La Liga, he scored a brace in the victory of Atlético 6- 1 against Granada. Removed from Barça without care or farewell ceremony because of the health situation, the Uruguayan "gunslinger" proved to the club that he was wrong to part with him. As Barça struggled twelve points off the top spot held by the Madrilenians in December, Suarez was at the top of the league's top scorers rankings.

Imagine signing Luis Suarez for free from a title contender.

Imagine he decided to accept lower salary to show everyone he's not finished or too old.

Imagine winning La Liga thanks to this incredible striker.

What a deal.

Congrats, Atlético ⚪️ pic.twitter.com/lwz6qU1rBr

- Fabrizio Romano (@FabrizioRomano) May 22, 2021

If he has since been caught and overtaken by his best friend Lionel Messi (30 goals for the Argentinian, 21 for the Uruguayan), Suarez, 34, has perfectly succeeded in his integration into Atlético, perfectly embodying the character combative advocated by Simeone and combining well with Joao Felix or his other attacking teammates.

Jan Oblak

If Simeone has succeeded in injecting an ounce of brilliance into the Rojiblancos' attacking game, his defense knows that it can always count on a last impassable bulwark. Jan Oblak is still in the running for the Zamora trophy for best goalkeeper in La Liga this year. With 18 “clean sheets”, the Slovenian goalkeeper is the guarantor of the best defense in Liga (25 goals conceded in 38 matches). His countless rescues, as spectacular as they were decisive, have extinguished his main competitors like Thibaut Courtois (Real) or Marc-André ter Stegen (Barça). Oblak is today the most expensive goalkeeper in the world, valued at 90 million euros.

Marcos Llorente

If last season was that of revelation for Marcos Llorente, 2020-2021 was that of his confirmation as an essential cog in the mechanics of the "Atléti". Chiped at Real Madrid in 2019, Llorente, a training right-back, has been repositioned as a right winger or attacking midfielder to make the most of his qualities of speed and one-on-one. A stroke of genius from Simeone, who saw his nugget hatch at the highest level. This season, Llorente (26) has made 37 appearances in La Liga, scored 12 goals and provided 11 assists. Its value has jumped from EUR 16m in early 2020 to EUR 70m today, according to German benchmark site Transfermarkt.

Thomas Lemar

Often dubbed by Simeone as the “most technical player of the squad”, Thomas Lemar has asserted himself as a true holder of the Simeone system this season.

Long confined to the wings, the French convinced Simeone last summer to let him evolve in the axis, as an attacking midfielder, his favorite position.

A winning bet: his technical qualities and his left paw illuminated the attack of the “Colchoneros”, making him the essential link between defense and attack.

Joined by French-speaking Geoffrey Kondogbia and Yannick Carrasco, Lemar finally seems to have flourished at Atlético.

A season that allowed him to regain his place with the Blues, and his ticket for the Euro.

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