Atlético visits Mestalla in the middle of the noise

The closing of the transfer market is approaching and with it the rumors and debates about arrivals and departures overshadow the purely competitive. This is the case of Atlético, in whose environment Renan Lodi’s departure to Nottingham Forest, the possible arrival of former Madrid player Sergio Reguilón as a substitute or Griezmann’s delicate situation have left the visit to Valencia in the background.

“Not only I am concerned about this situation. There are many teams that live with this economic need, “acknowledged Simeone in the preview of the meeting in Mestalla. El Cholo did not deny that the movements in the market haunt his thoughts and prevent him from fully focusing on the competition. One day before his colleague Xavi recognized that he was looking forward to the end of the transfer window to work with a definitively closed squad.

The mattress coach welcomes the arrival of Reguilón as a substitute for Lodi, in a position in which he also has the performance of Carrasco with a defense of five and the versatility of the wild card Saúl. More precarious is the situation in the right lane, where the needs of the script force the return of Marcos Llorente, more comfortable as a right midfielder, as he has recognized on more than one occasion. The expulsion of Nahuel Molina and his corresponding sanction move the Madrilenian to that position where he played so much last season and open the doors of the eleven to Rodrigo de Paul, third member of a midfield in which captain Koke and Lemar are for now indisputable.

Savic’s injury gives way to Giménez at defense while Morata and Joao Félix aim to repeat in the attacking front, remarkable in the debut in Getafe but much more discreet in the defeat against Villarreal. Thus, Griezmann, who is still in the spotlight due to a hypothetical departure and is now wanted by Arsenal, will continue on the bench fueling the rumors about his situation.

The setback at the Metropolitano against the Yellow Submarine forces a mattress reaction against Gattuso’s Valencia, another team that started the competition against Girona on the right foot but succumbed last week in San Mamés. “It is a team that is very much reflected in its coach, with a high pace of play and very good pressure,” Simeone warned about the team, which is also awaiting the arrival of Bryan Gil on loan and still dreams of signing Cavani , also the object of desire of Villarreal and Real Sociedad.

Once one of the great rivalries of Spanish football, the duel between Valencia and Atlético has been marked in recent times by an overwhelming rojiblanco dominance. The team has accumulated up to 15 consecutive matches without knowing the victory against the colchoneros, with 6 draws and 9 losses. His last win in the league with Simeone’s men in front dates back to October 2014, when Nuno’s then-Portuguese team won 3-1 at Mestalla. The Valencian parish now clings to that precedent, ready to fish in the troubled river of Atlético.