Madrid, March 21, 2023.- Atlético de Madrid has returned to its best version. No doubt. The victory against Valencia (3-0) confirmed his liveliest moment of the season, reactivated since the 2022 World Cup. The numbers are indisputable. Since the return of the World Cup break, Atlético has won 27 points out of the 36 played, with the only defeat against Barcelona by 0-1, with eight victories -five of them in the last six days, with three draws, with 21 goals in favor, with five against, with six games unbeaten and now in a streak of ten games unbeaten. Barça is the only team that has added more than the mattresses in this journey. Atlético would be second in a post-world league and only two points behind the Catalans.
According to Betfair forecasts, for Atlético de Madrid to win their next match, the price is €1.55 per euro wagered. A very low quota considering that Betis is the rival that will visit the Metropolitan, a team involved in the fight for the Champions League. That the Verdiblanco team win is quoted at €5 per euro wagered, however. It is not contemplated that Atlético will not be in the Champions League next year thanks to the reliability achieved right now in the national championship. In fact, the colchoneros are involved in the sprint to snatch second place in the championship from Real Madrid. They are already only five points away. Real Madrid, twelve behind the leader.
Griezmann, the best player in LaLiga?
All this streak of Atlético has five footballers as protagonists who have given a great change after the World Cup. The first, of course, Griezmann, considered by many analysts as the best player in LaLiga. Another Atlético de Madrid match. Another display by Antoine Griezmann. Something that is becoming commonplace. The French player signed a great match against Valencia, being him in charge of opening the scoring in the first half and leading the rojiblanco team in attack. Atlético moves to the sound of the Frenchman, who already has nine goals and eight assists in the championship. Figures that go to double numbers in all competitions, with ten goals and eleven goal passes.
The return of the best De Paul
Another rebirth has in De Paul as a success in recent games. Rodrigo De Paul is already one hundred percent of his physical discomfort and is already playing regularly in the starting lineup for Cholo Simeone. In fact, in recent games he has risen as one of the best mattress players and in the last match against Valencia he was the lord and master of the mattress midfield, cutting off the rival’s actions and creating opportunities for his team, while continuing to run and make toppings. The Argentine has known how to deal with his situation, he has not wrinkled at any time and the mattress fans recognized this when he left the field last Saturday with a thunderous ovation. He is once again the footballer that the Madrid team expected.
“Let’s go forward & rdquor;
Marcos Llorente was also one of the protagonists of the mattress victory against Valencia. The man from Madrid assisted Griezmann in the first of the goals. “The team is enjoying the last games. When things go well, when the team is plugged in, with intensity, one enjoys and has a good time. The team is gaining momentum and we are going forward & rdquor ;, he commented.
It is clear that something has changed in the mattress team, but Llorente assures that they have not identified what it is. “The usual, we can’t know, we continue working the same, there are times when things work out, before the World Cup nothing worked out for us and now everything works out for us. What have we changed? Before we also wanted to and it didn’t come out, now it comes out and the team is happy, they want to finish as high as possible,” Llorente explained, who is also being a key figure.
carrasco the agitator
Against Valencia, another resource was Yannick Carrasco, being one of the great protagonists of Atlético’s victory. From the first moment it was noted that the Belgian could be the differential factor of the game, in those duels with Folquier, who had many problems stopping him. One of the things that most destabilized the Levantine team were those game changes towards Yannick so that he faced, left, and generated danger.
Morata, decisive
In attack, not only Griezmann has been decisive. Morata in total has scored 12 goals in 35 games this season. Starting in 24 of those games, he has also given 3 assists in all that time, so the Spanish attacker is being a valuable piece. He adds the same goals as the previous season at Juventus in Turin. Therefore, he maintains his regularity in front of goal and aims to continue being an essential piece next season for the people of Madrid, more now than with Depay (another outstanding player after the World Cup) seems to have entered a long-distance race to see who among the two deserve to be chosen by Simeone to occupy the spearhead. Unless a sale is considered now, taking into account that the striker will end his contract in 2024. We’ll see what happens. Because Morata is one of the new Magnificent Five of this World Cup.
