Practice ends and, as his footballers swarm on mats in a circle at his feet, Simeone remains pensive under his black cap. He says something to Nelson Vivas, his second. Discuss something with Vercellone, goalkeeping coach. Another with Bonvicini, his third. The last session of the second triple of the preseason in Los Angeles from San Rafael has just ended and there is a lot to write about. A premature retirement, many goals, a brush and a footballer in the prime of life.
Enlarge
The heat of those days is not remembered in San Rafael. the laces yes. The body has memory and that of footballers already remembers. This slope that is lactic acid today, tomorrow will only be strength. The Atlético team worked for an hour and a half, the first part exercising possession in small spaces and, the second, attacking, defending and tipping. This is where the retreat happened. It was Lodi who broke away from the group to go to the bench and he didn’t come back. After a while, he left practice in a car, heading for the hotel.
Belle, Morata and Koke
in the field, Simeone worked with the team split into two teams. In the first, without bib: Giménez, Carrasco, Koke and Hermoso in front, with red bib, Griezmann, Correa, De Paul, Kondogbia and Sergi. In the second, without, Wass, Savic, Witsel, Reinild and Llorente; with, Cunha, Morata, Saul, Lemar and Lino. That’s when the goals started coming. All out of a boot, that of Morata, which we see a lot in training and more. “Very good, Álvaro,” praised Cholo the first time a whipshot out of his boot ended up in the net. I would score three more in the afternoon. The “prime”, however, is by Mario Hermoso. The centre-back has completed the huge session. Of great strength, he stood out physically and in defense, but also in attack, serve crosses measured and a goal for the team. Meanwhile Koke, who is also having a great pre-season, took out his brush for a walk. Pass between the legs, stop, reflect, your compass is the fundamental compass of the man with the cap.
João worked in the gymnasium, fourth day of absenceand Felipe did it on the grass but only, in the nearby field, and next to Gustavo López. Downstairs, just before stretching on the mats marked the end of the session, Simeone had resumed work on an eleven. And by the way Morata and Correa were once again the top leaving in this one (Oblak; Wass, Savic, Giménez, Hermoso; Llorente, Koke, Witsel, Carrasco; the Argentinian and the Spaniard).