They can change the objectives, the stripes of the shirt and even the faces in the locker room, but in Diego Pablo Simeone there are two factors that remain unchanged over time: the saving hands of Jan Oblak, twelfth campaign already as guardian of the mattail goal, and the 4-4-2 of recent years.
The novelty in Do Dragao, the first meeting of the preseason against a Porto in constant reconstruction, was, however, on the left flank, where a cholo still in short manga – but always black, like his costumes -: the Italian Matteo Ruggeri, 23 years old, amended lateral and compliant from the Atalanta; and Álex Baena, international with Spain and, at 24, responsible for inventing, generating and nourishing Julián Álvarez and Alexander Sorloth in the last third of the countryside.
Precisely because of the flank of the last two players to arrive, the first and the only one of the match on the edge of the break fell, a right crossed from the interior of the Victor Froholdt area, Danish who, at 19 years old and newly arrived from the Copenhagen in exchange for 20 million euros, has presented serious credentials to take the rudder of the Porto as he has already done, despite his insulting youth, in the absolute selection of his country.
Under the watchful eye of Paolo Futre and Radamel Falcao, two that scored many and very important goals for Porto and Atleti, and after, with past in both teams, the second half of the match started with less rhythm after the eleven changes of the matt His brilliant passage through Betis, to organize the center of the Metropolitan field from the same start of the season (August 17 against Espanyol in Cornellá).
Before, in any case, Simeone must solve other unknowns, because although figures such as Oblak, Le Normand or Julián Alvarez seem untouchable – a very distant right of the latter could advance visitors to the edge of the break, but the ball crashed in the cross Clement Lenglet or his own, seem committed to the bench or, failing that, to the devilish demand of the Metropolitan, one of the most demanding squares of European football.
The match concluded without further occasions for the rojiblancos and with some shy attempt in the local team, where Rodrigo Mora, elusive pearl of the quarry of only 18 years, raised the rhythm in three fields of field to unbalance the defense of Atlético and, with electrifying rhythm, threatening the goal of Juan Musso, acquired in property this summer by three million.
After the defeat (1-0), the next stop for the Atlético, second and last of the summer, on Saturday in England, where those of Simeone will face the, one of the six Premier League teams that will play the Champions League. It will be necessary to see if Alexander Isak will still be part of the URACAS or if, otherwise, he will have already flown to Liverpool, a team that, according to various sources, has already offered 140 million euros without success for its services. It will be necessary to see, in the same way, if Atlético has been reinforced more or if, two weeks after the league starts, the template is closed.
