Maybe you have seen the images. Conor Gallagher, as a replacement, pulls in one tackle during a stop time and then launches in a second. Diego Simeone roars his approval of the dugout. The Estadio Metropolitano is bursting out, the response visceral.
Those last moments in the 1-0 win over Athletic Bilbao at the beginning of March, Gallagher's first season with Atletico Madrid will probably define as much as his record-breaking goal 27 seconds in the Derby against Real Madrid in the Champions League.
It resonated. He was compared to a pit bull when he was presented to the home crowd after his summer arrival from Chelsea. Viewed as a natural fit for Simeone, Gallagher was seen as the embodiment of the core principles of the fighting coach of the club.
But five games of that tackle and the season of Atletico is in the balance. They have not won since then. From the Champions League after a defeat of a penalty shootout for their big rivals, a series of draws left them on drift in what a promising title challenging had been.
The second stage of their Copa del Rey draw against Barcelona – nicely ready after an epic 4-4 draw in Catalonia – is now the chance. It must be taken if Simeone has to deliver a trophy this season and Gallagher is to show something for his efforts.
The midfielder still did well, even if the results have gone against Atletico. That goal against Real Madrid was remarkable, not just because of his speed. It was the first of an Englishman in the Madrid derby. Since then he has given help against Barcelona.
Gallagher is won in the top 50 players in Laliga for possession in both the defensive third and the middle third of the field. And yet the only striker Alexander Sorloth among the Atletico team has a shot when one-on-one is more often with the goalkeeper than he is.
That emphasizes his ability to influence the game in both boxes – a characteristic feature – but this was no more than a qualified success. The collaboration between Pablo Barrios and Rodrigo de Paul has regularly seen him forced to the left wing, played from position.
Few understand the requirements to play better for Atletico than Diego Godin. Asked by Sky Sports to share his verdict about the debut campaign of the English International, says the club legend: “I think Conor Gallagher is going through a period of adjustment.”
Godin explains: “We know that he has come to a new country, a new language, and he must also adapt to the playing style that Simeone is looking for. But in general I would say that all the great players need a period of adaptation in Atletico.”
Diego Costa exploded in his third season. More recently, the Paul went from screaming to a favorite of fans. “They always become really important players. I am sure that Gallagher will be important for Atletico,” Godin adds.
“He does not start every match, but that does not mean that he is not important. The philosophy of Simeone has always been that it is not important that players collect a large number of minutes, but to ensure that the minutes they play are of maximum quality.”
This is particularly the case with Gallagher, a player whose presence on the field is only useful when he works at full intensity. On the ball he is a tidy distributor of the ball. You outside, whether he is bursting in the box or pressing the opponent, he can be an elite.
Simeone recognized that, impressed by the opening training sessions. Gallagher was not even born when his coach won the Double as a midfielder of Atletico, but he also felt a related spirit, someone who could raise his play, felt that he wanted to feel.
Kieran Trippier, a title winner under Simeone in Atletico, reassured him that it was a perfect fit and that the language barrier does not have to be a stumbling block in terms of forging that connection. Goddess also gives a telling insight. There is more too Simeone.
“Cholo Simeone is a very intense trainer, but he also decomprimates. He is not always so serious, so intense. You can see that he is very passionate every time his team is on the field and follows it from the sidelines, but there are times when he takes it.
“He is jovial. He likes to tell jokes and he likes to relax. In my time we also meet away from the competitions, away from the stadium. He would invite us around his house for a meal. We would meet, walk, walk the dog, bring our children to school.
“It is like every job, it doesn't matter where you work, sometimes things can be too tense. If there is too much pressure, things break, so you have to take a step back, take the pressure away. You have to be able to enjoy those moments when you can relax.”
Perhaps it is one of the secrets of the life of Simeone. Next year will be in the work for one and a half decade. And despite the suspicion that he is immovable, Atletico has evolved. “Today's Atletico is not the same as the Atletico team from ten years ago,” says Godin.
“The team plays in a different way today than when I played in the team. The players are different nowadays. All these different players have different qualities. But Cholo has the ability to stay in work for many years and simply find out.
“But if he knows cholo, he will always demand that players give as much as possible as they can and 100 percent are called in. He will never negotiate about that. On the field he will always try to ensure that his teams are really well connected.
“The results speak for himself, look at what he has achieved, and I think he keeps doing this very, very well. He understands the club perfectly. He understands what Atletico is all about and what Atletico needs at all times. I think that's the key.”
When Simeone turns to the crowd and to scream the noise after the latest Gallagher -Tackle, he may understand that his Atletico team also needs their English midfielder. Win against Barcelona and the final of Copa del Rey both await them.
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