• Chronicle.This Atlético is not cold

  • Opinion: The Champion of Filomena, by Julián Ruiz

  • Athletic. Saúl's battle to be Saúl again: "When things don't go well, the mental aspect gains value"

Saúl has scored many goals (and very beautiful ones) with Atlético.

Up to 42 in 315 games, specifically.

But when time passes and his little Africa asks him about his most special target, he will surely remember the one who signed a harsh January night, at the Wanda Metropolitano, against Sevilla.

In full mental struggle, as he himself openly, bravely and bluntly acknowledged, after the cupbearer shipwreck in Cornellà, his accurate left-foot strike, with which he definitely anesthetized the game, helped him to continue winning that battle.

"Football is not only eleven against eleven, it feels a lot and what happens on the grass is transferred to the family, to the relationship with people. If you see that it does not come out, it is complicated," he acknowledged on the Movistar microphone, with that smile that football seemed to have erased in the most difficult season of his career.

Paradoxically, also the most special.

After scoring Marcos Llorente's center, the first thing he did was dedicate the goal to his partner and that girl who is on the way.

As soon as he opened the door of the house, he found a note of those that push him to continue fighting: "Thanks for the goal, Dad. I was very excited. We love you."

Although Saul was never willing to stop.

Well she knows

Diego Pablo Simeone

, his coach, who knows him since he was little more than a teenager.

"Like everything in life, the first one who has to want to get out of the difficulty is oneself. And Saúl wants it," admitted the Argentine coach, who celebrated that shoe as if he had scored it with 14 on his back.

"He knew he was not well and he has always worked. From the age of 18 he has had to live very good things and now he has to live another. Saúl is helping himself and is already getting out of the situation he was in," added Simeone , whose team is already officially winter champion.

A title without a trophy, but a good point of support for, game by game, to continue traveling through this exciting League.

The fact is that Saúl had to wait more than an hour on the bench to help his teammates out, when the thermometer read

seven degrees below zero

.

"I have to work and, when the opportunity comes to me, show the coach that I am here to help," he assured a week ago in Cornellà.

Well said and done.

10 minutes after jumping into the arctic Metropolitano, he drew his left foot and began to sign his redemption.

Marcos Llorente

raised him to heaven and

Luis Suárez

and

Trippier

accompanied his celebration.

A heartfelt celebration, in a changing room where he is one of the captains.

The one where you have an authoritative voice, hence you never hide when things don't go the way they should.

Neither him nor the team.

"There are people who throw bad things at you, who don't help much. But I have to thank a lot of people. The other day a part of the fans came to encourage me and help a lot, I thank them," Saúl said on foot from the field, eager to go home.

What he could not wait is that, after the goal, the first of the season, he would find that note.

Words that help scare ghosts and get back to being yourself.

Lopetegui's complaint

It was also a happy night for

Kieran Trippier

, who took advantage of FIFA's precautionary statement to confirm what was already known: it is basic in Simeone's scheme.

The Englishman added his fifth assist of the season and started the sentencing play, stampeding Marcos Llorente.

And, as has become customary, it was for

Lemar

, who a year ago seemed out of the team, given the possible arrival of

Cavani

, and today, two and a half years after his signing, he is one of the essentials for Simeone.

The Frenchman was decisive in the origin of the first goal and showed that hot blood that he seemed to lack.

After the defeat, the first in the league after six games without losing,

Julen Lopetegui

remembered Atlético's bye week.

"We had situations and we have not done them. The team has done a great job coming from where we come from. From the great effort against Real Sociedad, three days ago. Against a team that has the opportunity to have seven days of rest," explained the Basque technician.

What nobody mentioned is that, since Friday, the rojiblancos could only train once because of the storm Filomena.

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