The change of Griezmann, the criticism of the referee and the uncertain future of Simeone: "We will see what suits us all"

• The clause There is nothing more hateful than playing against Madrid

• Chronicle Madrid always knows how to wait

• The grass cutter The final punishment for Simeone

Eight minutes from the break, with Atlético liking each other thanks to a couple of possessions with more than 20 passes, a decision by

unhinged

for the first time .

had collided with

, who was writhing on the grass while his team continued the play.

As the referee did not want to call a foul on

and the subsequent foul on

,

lashed out in the technical area with the fury of his best days at the Calderón.

His footballers, with

in front, they surrounded the La Rioja referee.

At that time, few would have suspected that this meant the beginning of the end for the rojiblancos in the Copa del Rey.

While

spoke with Soto Grado and

reproached

for something , Simeone marched towards the changing room tunnel savoring a job well done.

With 45% control of the ball, Atlético had completed 303 passes, almost the same as those they would add in the following 75 minutes (324).

And he had handcuffed a powerless Real Madrid against

.

But after the break, the derby changed completely.

And Simeone, in his own way, pointed his index against the referee.

The Argentine coach did not understand how Ceballos's push on

in the crescent had run out of a card.

The 70th minute was running and the visitors were leading 0-1.

"We would have stayed with one more and they with one less, with a result in our favor and playing a good game, but it didn't happen," Simeone stressed about that foul "that nobody cares about."

Under those same premises, very critical of Soto Grado, De Paul and Oblak were managed in the mixed zone.

ironic applause

"Ceballos could see yellow, he didn't see it.

could see yellow, he did see it. We are bad with the result, but happy and proud of how they competed," added Simeone, referring to the way in which the Serbian center-back left his team with 10 in just two minutes.

In 97, due to his repeated pique with

and a couple of actions later, for coming across at the wrong time against

.

Simeone's scathing applause, even with his back to the referee, made his discontent clear.

It was another cursed extension for the strategist who has put Madrid in the most trouble in finals over the last decade.

Just to list, the 2013 Copa del Rey, the 2014 and 2016 Champions League, the 2018 European Super Cup and the 2020 Spanish Super Cup were decided beyond regulation time.

Although only in 2013 and 2018 was the mattress team able to hold onto the trophy.

Another extra period where, as on that May 28 at the San Siro, Atlético did not offer the level that the stage deserved.

Among the causes of the downturn, perhaps none as crucial as the absence of Griezmann.

The Frenchman, in a state of grace since the World Cup in Qatar, had left his place to

.

Deprived of the man who channeled all of football, Atlético would eventually fade away.

memphis and saul

Very fatigued, Simeone must have seen his star, who in the 84th minute had wasted a great chance to make it 1-2.

The assistant raised the flag, invalidating the action, but until then no one could dispute the specific weight of Griezmann, alpha and omega for the rojiblancos, like on Saturday against Valladolid.

And like in the cup matches against Almazán, Real Oviedo and Levante, where he played the 90 minutes without any rest.

That sixth change, the bonus allowed in overtime, was not favorable for Barrios, a great revelation of the quarry, nor for

, the last to get on this ship.

The alarmingly low form of the Dutchman drew as much attention as the low intensity of

.

After so many praises for the depth of the squad, Atlético's substitutes once again seemed worse than those of their great city rival.

Griezmann, against Militao, on Thursday at the Bernabéu.EFE

The sum of these factors, of course, leaves Simeone himself in a delicate situation, who did not even want to be forceful about his continuity.

"We are out of the Champions League and we are out of the Copa del Rey. Now we have almost the entire second round left to reach the goal that the club needs. And then, calmly, we will see what is best for all of us", he analyzed .

The contract of the best-paid coach in the world, with a net annual record of 20 million euros, expires in 2024. But in just five months he must meet the minimum objective of each course: get the team into the Champions League.

At the moment, with the same points as Villarreal and three more than Osasuna and Betis, they can offer

what is stipulated, but these 20 league games can be very long for the people of the Metropolitan.

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Know more

• football

• Real Madrid

• Atletico Madrid

• Diego Simeone

• Articles Miguel A. Herguedas

• Antoine Griezman

• Jan Oblak

• thomas lemar

• eduardo camavinga

• Vinicius Junior

• Saul Ñiguez