Big game between absences and anger

Big party. Atlético and Barça meet at the Metropolitano in a duel with more Barça pressure, as a defeat would leave Ronald Koeman’s team off the hook with respect to his direct rivals for the title, but which is marked by the low mattresses, which will prevent the morbid reunion of Luis Suárez with those who were his teammates . The ‘FIFA virus’ has conditioned Simeone’s agenda, but the return after the window of national teams also brought with it a new anger from Messi, this time on account of a few words from Griezmann’s uncle and an inspection of the Treasury in his private plane that filled the patience of the Argentine star after his long trip back to Barcelona. It remains to be seen if it was a heat or a new sample of a discomfort that has been going on since he was denied leaving the club, but what happens on the grass between the ’10’ and the French will be in the spotlight again .

At Barça It is avoided to speak of a final with all logic because it is too early to be martyred with such responsibility, but the Barça team goes to the Metropolitan with the huge pressure to know that in the event of defeat they will already be nine points in the standings of such a reliable squad that fails as little as Atlético, which has accumulated 23 consecutive games without losing in the league. Koeman and his players need a convincing victory in the League to rearm emotionally and reflect on the scoreboard the good feelings that are transmitted in the green. Before the national team stoppage, Barça already broke the negative dynamics of four games without winning (two points out of twelve) with a win with lights and shadows against Betis (5-2). Now he must show that at home and in such a complicated stadium he also knows how to do it.

Ansu Fati, who will not reappear until March After being operated on for the rupture of the internal meniscus of the left knee, he will miss his first game and it will be necessary to assess whether there was already a certain dependence on such a young forward, just turned 18, but who was the one who faced the most and most danger created. Sergio Busquets will also be out after the slight knee sprain he suffered with the Spanish team. And the Uruguayan center-back Ronald Araujo and Samuel Umtiti remain in the infirmary, with an uncertain football future due to their chronic knee injury. The Frenchman is already training with the group, but to test himself. So things, Piqué and Lenglet They are the only head offices available, apart from Óscar Mingueza, from the subsidiary. Neither Frenkie de Jong, who has already relocated to the rear on some occasion, is an alternative to Atlético because the loss of Busquets ties him to the double pivot in Koeman’s 4-2-3-1, with Pjanic by his side, making his debut as a starter in a League in which the Bosnian barely had minutes.

The good news at Barça is the return of Coutinho, who suffered a muscle injury on October 24 in the defeat against Real Madrid (1-3). The Brazilian will reappear directly in the starting eleven in an attack that he will share with Messi, Griezmann and Pedri, with serious options also for Dembélé because without Ansu he is the one who can contribute more depth and overflow. In order not to vary, all eyes will once again examine the relationship on the pitch between Messi and Griezmann after the last controversy of the week, although Koeman already made it clear that “that’s bullshit.”

Meanwhile, the window of national teams has brought Simeone down the street of bitterness. Along the way, with a big game on the horizon with which to leave Barça very touched, they have stayed with the Argentine coach Luis Suarez, a true offensive pillar, more motivated than ever before his former team, and Lucas Torreira, positive for covid-19 after a rally with Uruguay in which the strict conditions typical of these times of pandemic were conspicuous by their absence; Héctor Herrera, who suffered a muscle injury during his stay with the Mexican national team when he was going through his best moment as a rojiblanco and was aiming to start; and the youth squad Manu Sánchez, with another muscle injury after debuting with the U-21.

“Enthusiasm” by Joao Félix

Faced with this aggravated version of ‘FIFA virus’, Simeone faces with resignation, under the protection that produces “the illusion and enthusiasm” that the huge level of Joao Felix, thinking of alternatives and not of lamentations that are of little use. «We are part of society and we have the possibility that a boy can touch him. We will have to go out with other footballers to meet in the match that we have ahead and wait for Luis and Lucas to recover as soon as possible, “said the mattress coach. In this sense, he made it clear that Diego Costa He leaves with all the possibilities of playing after partially reincorporating to group work this week: «Of course it can be. He has returned to the group and in the last training sessions he has already been 20 minutes or half an hour. Okay, to play, and obviously I’ll take that into account. Despite this, there is doubt about the risk of including him in the eleven, which would open the doors of departure for Correa.

The one that clearly points to the headline is Carrasco, despite the fact that Simeone did not offer clues about the line-up when questioned by the Belgian, an offensive alternative to the possibility of including Kondogbia in a containment eleven in midfield: «Like many other boys, he is in a good level. He was away for two weeks and has already rejoined the group this entire week. He has shown that he is ready to play too and there is good competition in that position, with Saúl or Lemar ».