Almost a month ago Luis Suárez played his last game for Atlético.
It was at the Wanda, against Cádiz, just before the national team break.
That night, with great assistance from Joao Félix and a push from VAR, he scored his fifth and last goal (for now) as a rojiblanco.
The happy coronavirus removed him from the scene, just when he glimpsed his particular revenge against
Koeman
and, also, when his team required his goals to lock a place in the eighth of the Champions League, which now remains at the expense of a final in Salzburg.
The fact is that on Thursday, 16 days after a PCR revealed his positive for Covid-19, while he was concentrating with the Uruguayan team, the official test of the League came back negative and everyone felt tremendous relief.
The first he, of course, who, two weeks ago, had to take a private plane from Montevideo to return to Madrid and, later, remain isolated, without contact with his children, during the quarantine.
At least he was asymptomatic.
And, of course, Atlético breathes easier, despite the fact that the results, at least in the League, have not changed without him.
Two goals in two games and two league victories and three in four games, with two draws in the Champions League.
One of the many, unintentionally, was marked by the Valencian player Lato at the Mestalla.
More than 50 shots in total (20 of them against Lokomotiv) for only two own goals and one for others.
Hence,
Joao Félix
, who has a wonderful understanding with the Uruguayan, publicly missed him after the recent draw against Bayern, where the rojiblancos sent a handful of times to limbo: "We need him."
The absence of Luis Suárez has coincided with the enigmatic injury of Diego Costa, destined to occupy the Uruguayan's space, after recovering from a muscle injury suffered in Balaídos.
The Hispanic-Brazilian suffered a deep vein thrombosis in his right leg and has no return date.
Simeone even bet his prize for the youth squad
Sergio Camello
, to break the tie to zero against Lokomotiv.
Because the team's third pure striker, Serbian
Ivan Saponjic
, is still not an option for his coach (64 minutes in two seasons), despite being one of the permanent players on the Atlético bench (he has only been out in two calls ).
Against this background, Correa has served as '9' without being one.
Marksmanship and tactics
Because with the arrival of Suárez, a little over two months ago, Atlético changed their way of living on the pitch.
This is how Simeone openly recognized it and this has been seen in this time.
The Uruguayan, apart from his nose, unique in the squad, brings his tactical experience.
It is also a nightmare for the opposing centers, who are under permanent threat.
And although the physicist no longer gives him to be running 90 minutes, his voices to his teammates, correcting positions and suggesting pass options, are one of the soundtracks in Atlético's games.
The new silence reveals other facets of footballers.
The duel against Valladolid, in search of the seventh consecutive victory in the League, will be a set-up for Suárez, before that decisive Champions duel on Wednesday, in
Salzburg
.
As soon as he landed in Madrid, from Montevideo, he was controlled day by day by the club's medical medical services, with
Óscar Celada on
the phone, first, and by
Profe Ortega
, who designed a personalized training plan to be able to be ready. as soon as the virus gave him truce, as it has been.
«Its characteristics are already known to everyone.
We have to continue trying to maintain the line of the last games, "said Simeone, confident that, with the Uruguayan back, his team can face the goal again and not continue to be a headache.
Although we must not forget that in three of the four games where Atlético has remained without scoring (Bayern, Huesca and Villarreal), Suárez started.
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