Diego Simeone twisted the gesture when asked, again, about Bellingham's entry on Correa. It was an action of the game, which for him should have been sanctioned with a red card, but which has ended with the Argentine with a knee sprain and a planned three-week absence. "I'm thinking about Osasuna, what was left behind, was left behind," dispatched the technician to begin a dissection of the reddish set.

And it is that Correa, despite the controversy raised by being a derby against Real Madrid, 'only' was one more setback in Simeone's planning. Two more have been added to Atletico Madrid's casualty list.

Memphis, recently returned from a muscle injury that had stopped him since the third day of the league, felt a puncture in the soleus in the last play of training on Tuesday. Injury that could have him up to a month away from the playing field. Again the last moments, punished the whole of Cholo.

Memphis and Correa are the yin and yan in the rojiblanca template. While the Dutchman has been out longer than on the pitch since his arrival in the winter market this year, the Argentine has only had four injuries in the nine years since signing for the mattress set.

The other loss that adds to those of Barrios, Lemar, De Paul, Reinildo and Söyüncü is that of Savic, who also suffered a muscle overload in Tuesday's session. While Memphis is ruled out for Pamplona, the Montenegrin is a doubt for the call-up, but he is not completely ruled out. "We work to have as many players available to play," Simeone explained.

Muscle injuries are the Achilles heel of Atletico Madrid, but also of other big European clubs that play more than 70 games a year. "Criticizing we are not going to get this to change," said the Cholo at a press conference and asked for a joint work of recuperators, physiotherapists and psychologists to preserve the health of the players.

Osasuna will be the next touchstone of Atlético de Madrid, a stone in which Simeone wants to preserve the "spirit" that was seen in the derby because, and Cholo knows it more than anyone, "regularity is the important thing".

Those who are having it in the last matches are Saul and Lino. Simeone praised their "humility" and their "work" as well as the "confidence" they are showing since they are starters. Carrasco seems, increasingly, a memory and not a loss for the mattress set. "We are not looking for a new Carrasco," the coach said of Lino. Well, because of their contribution in defense and attack, they seem to have found it.

  • Atletico Madrid
  • CA Osasuna