The reception of the bombastic five-star hotel Meliá Milano remained silent this Monday. Only the noise of the taxi engine, constantly trickling down the Via Masaccio, interrupts the tranquility of a place with an almost sacred atmosphere. Nothing to do with the traffic he experienced on that night in May 2016, when, without masks, the hall was boiling on the eve of Atlético meeting again with their destination. That last visit to San Siro, after falling on penalties in the Champions League final against Real Madrid, pushed
Diego Pablo Simeone
to a couch, in which were the longest days in the recent history of the entity. «I don't stop so much in that moment, I do in the present. And in a rival that plays well, with good results dynamics, “the Argentine coach dribbled before the media, at a press conference held in the charming room of Cerro del Espino, hours before he landed in Milan at night. The city that welcomed him as a footballer after leaving Madrid and, also, the one that made him rethink his future.
Because of the cabal, in an attempt to break with the past, Atlético chose the Sheraton Milan San Siro to spin a different story in the Lombard capital. «If it had not gone well when we visited a city, the next visit would change hotels. Cholo likes to move like this, it is a matter of sensations ", reminds EL MUNDO
Miguel Ángel Moyá
, substitute goalkeeper in that final and now a commentator on Movistar. "They all asked" what if I had "or" what if I hadn't done "questions. I remember seeing
Juanfran
very sorry. It is a thorn that stays stuck all your life, but you digest it. In the end you learn to live with the wounds », admits Moyá, an authorized voice in that wardrobe that caressed the glory.
Oblak
,
Giménez
,
Koke
,
Carrasco
,
Correa
and
Griezmann
(
Savic
is sanctioned) will set foot on that rough table this Tuesday where feelings and colors were blurred. But how does it affect returning to the scene of a crime? “The strength and mental capacity of top-level athletes, such as
Koke
, allows them to return to a stadium where what happened happened and that can even be positive. They can manage those moments as vindication ", reveals to this newspaper the physical trainer
Iván Díaz Infantes
Today at the Saudi Al-Ittihad, and that night on the red-and-white bench in San Siro.
There was enough silence, but reflective silence.
With the thought of finding out how we could improve our day to day, "is his memory of that long return trip.
"High resilience"
"Five years later, the footballers who were there that night can find themselves with sleeping emotions that can awaken in the face of the same scenario", analyzes
Alejo García-Naveira
,
sports
psychologist, with more than 20 years of experience in football. “It is possible that, initially, Simeone will bring back some bad memories, since he can associate it with the moment of his greatest crisis at the helm of Atlético. Despite this, Simeone has certain psychological coping strategies, focused on problem solving, and high resilience, "he argues.
But this Tuesday is another story. First, because Milan will be in front. Seven years ago, Atlético closed the Champions League door for the last time at San Siro. The Italian fans have not returned to enjoy a Champions League duel. It was the first tie that Simeone won as a coach in the highest competition and only Koke and Giménez survive. The
rossonero team
has nothing to do with it
, determined to resurface from its miseries, with
Pioli
in command from the bench and
Brahim Díaz
and
Theo Hernández
, with weight on the grass. “When you return to a stadium of good or bad memories, things go through your head, but they are not decisive for it to affect you in the game. This will be different ”, concludes Moyá.
And it will have to be different, otherwise, Atlético could get into a big mess in Europe.
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