Why Giuliano Simeone is behind the turnaround at Atletico Madrid

It is to be celebrated when a match sponsor finds it in him/her to give the player of the match award to the one who deserves it, without allowing their vision to be clouded by a goal or an assist. Generally that tends to send you shooting towards an ornament like a rocket into space, but on Sunday our anonymous referee managed to find a way around star man Antoine Griezmann by scoring an equalizing penalty, and Alexander Sorloth to go home as a winner with a lot of money. to give it to Giuliano Simeone. A man who has decided that nepotism has no place in football.

Simeone was brought on at half-time in a match in which Alaves had been more or less on autopilot, conceding a goal through their own penalty, and Atletico could not find a way out of their own cruise control. When Simeone came in, slowly but surely the whole dynamic changed. Atletico started running downhill, Alaves' control over where Atletico went and with whom slipped. Their two goals were a result of that shift, initiated by Simeone junior.

The truth is, he could get more of those awards. There are few long-suffering fans of the beautiful game who are not a little cynical, and when Diego Simeone was tenured and untouchable until recently, he kept his son on the fringes of his Atletico side, a side that had just had spent on renewal. On their front line, a skeptical look drew many faces in the Spanish capital. Bear in mind that this is a 21-year-old who was never considered the most talented in his class at the Atleti academy, and only earned a starting spot in the same Alaves side once they were safe from the drop last season. .

The introduction of the youngest Simeone offspring was a revelation for Atletico this season. Looking at his fourteen appearances, unique goal and three assists, you would be well placed to cast another quizzical look. But if you look a little deeper, Simeone has contributed three of those four goals in his last four starts. Even more relevant is that Atlético have only conceded once in Simeone's six starts this season.

If Giuliano had to provide reasons to win the Metropolitano, he engineered a 3-1 comeback against Leganes from the bench within half an hour, was responsible for the breakthrough against Las Palmas in a 2-0 win and was the key again in their victory over Alaves. What is striking is that all three involved incredible acts, especially against Leganes, chasing a lost ball and keeping it in on the touchline. Seconds later, Atletico got the go-ahead as an incredulous Pepinero defense got into position all too late.

After Matchday 9, following the October international break, Giuliano has played in every match, starting five of the nine matches. Their two defeats, against Lille and Real Betis, were the games in which Simeone clocked the least time on the pitch, just 33 minutes in total. After that turning point, Atletico are averaging 2.4 points per game in La Liga, compared to 1.88 previously. They concede 0.27 fewer goals per match and score 0.36 more.

That shift is not entirely down to him, but ask anyone at the Metropolitano: you can see and feel his impact. Now that the effect has been established, what exactly is the cause? Watching Atlético's 6-0 draw against Sparta Prague, you notice the recently minted Argentina international grabbing an assist, but your eyes are much more drawn to the sitter nodding wide from six yards out.

You'd expect all of Atletico's other attackers to drive away celebrating without thinking too much about what they were doing, apart from Sorloth's streakiness. There's no arguing that Giuliano is technically the least talented of Simeone senior's options.

What none of them have is a knife between their teeth and a desperate, breathless need to prove themselves. Simeone fights just like his father, and his presence was an air raid siren for his teammates, waking them from their sleep and into action. If Giuliano insists, he will drag the rest of Atletico with him. When he falls behind, he pulls the defense with him. Giuliano, a football enzyme, stirs up his team, attacking the fat and converting it into energy.

This year, Cholo Simeone was given the tools to mount a free-flowing attack, with talent and technique forming the basis of their recruitment policy. Little of this was visible before the past month. Just when it seemed like Simeone senior was losing his ability to add more fuel to the fire he wants to fuel his players, who better to send in than a boy seeking his father's approval? Giuliano runs where he is told and with feverish tenacity. Giuliano took on the pieces for which Koke Resurreccion and Antoine Griezmann lacked the legs.

It can be easy to mock the often futile runs players make after a loose ball, the slightly over-zealous tackle, the rallying cry in full view of a camera, to characterize it as tribunero or playing in front of the crowd. Especially at the highest level, where every side is decorated with shameful quality.

Where Barcelona faltered last year and ultimately fell off the wagon in the title circuit was the absence of Gavi. Amid a series of problems, the intensity of the entire squad around him dropped without him gladitorializing the game. Like Giuliano, Fermin Lopez is far from the most technically gifted in his dressing room, and he is favored by Hansi Flick, just as he was by Xavi Hernandez.

This year, Real Madrid flirted with early retirement from the Liga marathon due to injury. Carlo Ancelotti and his side so often turn to Fede Valverde for inspiration, but the absence of a second courageous competitor like Dani Carvajal left Los Blancos in a sick state. It's no surprise that the increased presence of Brahim Diaz, who has no shortage of technical skills but offers in abundance the selflessness that other stars need to shine, has coincided with their improvement.

Giuliano may never become a regular starter for Atletico, and he may not have a lasting impact on this Colchonero side. With things looking good for Diego Simeone, he now knows he has the talent to elicit a response from his side. After all, who better to add Cholismo's missing flavor than another Simeone?