The substitution of Julián Álvarez for Antoine Griezmann in the 45th minute has sparked a lot of criticism on social media. The team's first half, especially the first half hour, was spectacular. Quick combinations in few touches, speed, intensity, perfect occupation of spaces, however everything began to get worse after the hydration break.
The team, due to initial fatigue, saw the match flatten out and lose its spark . It was at that moment that Simeone did not want his team to lower the intensity and he made three changes. One of them was the Spider for the Little Prince, to the surprise of many of those attending the Metropolitano.
The main reason for the change
The Argentine footballer is coming off a very long season with Manchester City, where he played 59 matches in all competitions, more than in any other year. This, together with winning the Copa América with Argentina as a starter and his presence at the Olympic Games, brings the figure to 69 matches between national team and club.
Considering that the time between his elimination at the Olympic Games and his signing for Atlético was short, the player needs a gradual return. Yes, he could have risked it to get the three points but the possibility of him getting injured is a greater evil that Simeone logically avoided.
His substitution was agreed upon so that he could gradually gain minutes, as he did against Villarreal and Girona. Atlético de Madrid they are very clear that cases like Pedri, Gavi or Marc Bernal do not want to happen to the rojiblancos, and even less so to their star player.
Versatile in attack
Nobody, or almost nobody, doubts that when Julián Álvarez regains his form, he will be an undisputed starter in Simeone's starting eleven. Not only because of his quality, but also because of his work. Yesterday he was seen to give his all under pressure and committed to defensive work.
Not only that, Cholo Simeone already highlighted in the press conference before the match that he can play across the entire attacking front. In the Argentina national team, he almost always plays as a double striker with Leo Messi or on the wing if Lautaro Martínez comes on.
The latter is a similar position to the one he played at Manchester City, as Haaland played in the centre forward position. However, he played many games last year due to Kevin de Bruyne's injury. That is to say, he played as an attacking midfielder, a position that the Calchín native is not bad at either.
Wherever he plays, the Argentine will be a very important asset throughout the season . We are in matchday three and we must remain calm with him and the team. If it were as easy as if whoever had the best players always won, it would not be the king of sports worldwide.
Game by game.