It was not the mission for the Atlético He turned to him when he decided to sign him, a year and a half ago now. Axel Witsel He had been a pure and simple midfielder throughout his career. In some sections, he was not even a traditional defensive pivot, but rather a midfielder with a range and a certain arrival, reaching five goals in his first season in the Borussia Dortmundnow five years ago.
No, Simeone did not think of him as a central defender. Surely, he did not even see him as an undisputed starter in his plans, but rather as a closet footballer, ideal for giving rest to the players. Koke, De Paul and that ‘five’ starter for whom he has been pining for two years and that it does not finish arriving, waiting for the development that the newcomer, and very young, may have, Arthur Vermeeren.
33 matches out of 34 possible
But the numbers don’t lie. This Wednesday (9:30 p.m.), Atlético will play its 34th game of the season, the first leg of the Copa del Rey semifinals against Athletic. AND For Witsel it will be his 33rd match, with the particularity that the only one that has been lost was the first in LaLiga, due to a sanction carried over from the previous season. Since then, the Belgian has dressed in shorts whenever his team has played.
Except Jan Oblak, who has played every minute of the season, Witsel is in fact the player most used by Simeone. Addition 2,679 minutes spread over those 32 games, 29 of them as a starter and 26 disputed from start to finish. It narrowly surpasses Antoine Griezmann (2,672), who has nevertheless participated in all the matches of the course, like Saúl Ñíguez, resurrected after several low-profile courses.
Witsel is already less than 400 minutes away from matching his participation in the entire previous season. And at the moment the threat of the accumulation of yellow cards does not weigh on him, given that He has only seen two in LaLigaone against Barcelona and another against Sevilla.
Atlético’s continuous injuries in defense (Reinildo at the start of the course, Gimenez y Azpilicueta) and the poor performance of some colleagues (Savic and the already transferred Soyuncu) have contributed to consolidating Witsel as the core of the three central defense that Simeone usually deploys. But it is not only a question of necessity, it is also a question of merit.
Life insurance in the countries
Advanced statistics show that Witsel stands out, above the rest of the factors, for his success in passing. He is in the top 3% of center backs in the five major leagues in that aspect, according to data from the specialized portal Fbref.com. 93.2% of his passes are successfulwith very similar percentages in the short, medium and long distance.
Its air power (0.94 duels lost per game) and its cleanliness in duels (0.62 fouls per game, with only three yellows and no red so far this season) also play in favor of the blind trust that Simeone grants him, despite the fact that his 35 years suggest that he is no longer able to accumulate so many minutes.
Atlético studies its renewal
Age would also seem to indicate that his time at the Metropolitan is running out. In fact, his contract ends next June, but Simeone’s wish is to continue having his services for one more season. If everything develops normally and does not receive multimillion-dollar siren songs (see Saudi Arabia), it would be normal for it to renew.
Because even in a stretch of the season as demanding as the current one, with Simeone roaring about the limited rest granted to his squad (he accumulates a series of matches on Wednesday-Sunday-Wednesday-Sunday) compared to the margin of his rival cup holder, the Athletic, Witsel plays everything. Before the people of Bilbao, another fixed as Mario Hermoso aims to be a substitute. But just as there is no rest for Atlético, there is no rest for Witsel either.
2024-02-06 20:06:43
#rest #Atlético #rest #Witsel
