Griezmann claims his place at Atlético

Griezmann will not breathe easy until the market closes and will remain in the spotlight while the summer transfer window remains in force, but for the moment the Frenchman claims his place at Atlético based on goals. If on the opening day in Getafe he saw the door when he came off the bench and put the icing on a game already on track, in Mestalla he doubled the bet, because his second goal of the course, lucky that yes, meant a valuable victory for the mattress team, that calms the waters after the stumble against Villarreal and allows us to maintain the rhythm of the noble zone of the League.

Aware of the traditional difficulty of Valencia against the greats, Simeone cemented his approach with the presence of Saúl in the left lane and the entry of Kondogbia in the midfield, the novelties in the red and white line-up regarding the duel against Villarreal along with the inclusion of Rodrigo de Paul due to the need to delay Llorente to the right side given the sanction against Nahuel Molina. Cholo insisted from the beginning on the intense pressure above, with the aim of short-circuiting the circulation, stealing and hitting the counter, but the truth is that Valencia started better. The match scene was shot on the edge of the red and white area, although without the clarity in the local team to generate real danger.

Valencia was better as the minutes passed. More ball control and a greater sense of danger, a scenario that led to Musah’s great goal. Mestalla exploded with the unappealable shot of the American midfielder, but the celebration came to nothing when it arrived preceded by a clear foul by Diakhaby on Joao Félix. Gattuso expelled the stands, as passionate from the bench as he was on the pitch, but Atlético seemed to react after the scare, saved by the VAR. Joao Félix evaluated Mamardashvili’s feline reflexes from a distance and the match turned to the mattress side.

The break was approaching when the video arbitration appeared again to amend the plan for the busy Cuadra Fernández. A clearance by Giménez was picked up by Morata, who beat Thierry in speed and took it against the Portuguese, who was then shot down. The Valencian defender was the last defender and the referee resorted to red, in a decision that changed when reviewing the play on the screen, since the Atlético striker was already very heeled in control and the situation was not clear of goal. A lot of tension, a generous portion of yellow cards and arbitration controversy in a stuck first half, which died just after the clearest chance, a one-on-one from Morata against Mamardashvili that the Georgian goalkeeper disrupted with his left leg.

Saúl did not return from the break, charged with a yellow card and sacrificed in favor of the more offensive Carrasco. However, the change did not fix Atlético’s jam, much less, without the ability to produce football from the center of the field and without depth to threaten the counterattack or with spaces. Cholo’s team tried to lower the intensity of the game a couple of speeds and the match entered a bland phase, difficult to digest for the spectator. Castillejo’s electricity was one of the few things to put into his mouth during those minutes.

Luxury mattress bench

It was necessary to shake the tree with the changes, one of Simeone’s specialties, and the Argentine coach pulled Lemar and Griezmann, in the eye of the hurricane. The Frenchman seems to have become accustomed at this start of the season to coming off the bench and acting as an inside player, but despite the insistent rumors about his departure and a delicate situation, he claimed his place at Atlético by uneven the match when he had barely seconds on the green. He had the help of the deflection of his shot in the body of Soler, but he added his second goal in this League.

Atlético not only defended a precious advantage with solvency, but also brought Correa and Cunha into the equation with the aim of killing the game. They are luxuries typical of a squad that can boast depth. The Brazilian hit a header after a virtuoso cross from Carrasco, but was ahead. The rojiblanco victory had to be suffered or not, especially with a ball from loaned Samuel Lino that walked before Oblak’s domains. It was not the night for an outcome typical of ‘pupas’ and although Griezmann pardoned the sentence, his goal ended up being worth his weight in gold.