Simeone as a catalyst for Simeone | Soccer | Sports

On Sunday, with Leganés ahead on the scoreboard (0-1), Diego Pablo Simeone called his son Giuliano (21 years old) to give him the last instructions before entering the field of play. The father was looking for one more point of energy for Atlético to come back. The scenario was complex. The south end was empty, the fans had already shown signs of their discontent with the team’s play and the defeat meant distancing themselves from the fight for the League with the month of October still to end. A harsh and demanding landscape from which it emerged reinforced as a shock.

A forward with work and power to attack spaces, the coach’s youngest son occupied the right lane. From a position that is not his, the result of the change was that Simeone saved Simeone. Giuliano participated in the play for the first goal, enabling Witsel in the area to assist Sorloth. Shortly after, he starred in an action that confirmed the comment of technicians and scouts who follow the developments of the youth players at Cerro del Espino, despite the fact that he is not a dazzling talent with the ball: “He will be a First Division player.” Giuliano ran for a ball that was going along the touchline, he slid across the grass to collect it and oriented it so that he could continue the race by getting up and executing a pass to the near post that Griezmann converted to make it 2-1. The fans euphorically celebrated the recognition for another Simeone and being in front of one of their own. Giuliano has absorbed the essence of Atlético that his father has built in trips and hotels since he arrived in Madrid at the age of 16.

The presence of the coach’s son on a team is never comfortable. Neither for the teammates, nor for the club, nor for the parent, nor for the offspring. The line between suspicions of nepotism is very fine. So much so that his destiny this year was not yet to be part of Atlético’s first team. His loan to Alavés for the second consecutive year was agreed. Samu Omorodion’s intention to leave was what created the gap in the squad and opened the spigot of that uncomfortable situation for everyone. Nobody at Atlético denies that even his father may have refrained from granting him more minutes. In the Metropolitano press room it was noted that Cholo does not feel comfortable when he has to talk about his son and even less to praise him after his meritorious performance. “It’s his job, it’s what he has to do, he’s growing, he has many things to improve, but he’s hungry and the work, like Javi Galán, ends up paying off,” said the father about the boy’s performance. Tonight (9:00 p.m., Movistar), Atlético faces Lille and it is normal for them to be a substitute. But the normal thing will also be for Cholo to use him as an agitator if he needs it.

Giuliano’s merit is having blurred that delicate line with the exercise of professionalism that he has carried out since he joined the red-and-white youth team at the age of 19. Where it does not come with quality, it comes with effort and with the maximum use of its qualities. Luis García, who was his coach at Alavés last year, fell in love with him when Giuliano was playing on loan at Zaragoza. “We have put up with him, but… Simeone, this macho, is what a fabric. He can run for 90 minutes without stopping, it’s a nuisance… Puff… he’s a very good level player. And you get anything out of any play: it means that the centre-backs can’t clear well, it means that you can’t be forceful…”. Luis García could not enjoy it for more than half a season because he broke his tibia and fibula in a summer friendly. His physical and mental strength allowed him to shorten his recovery time by more than a month. His season finale earned him the chance to represent Argentina at the Paris Games. In August, Scaloni called him up for the senior team.

Superstitious

His way of processing his surname has also contributed to his rise to professional football and to the fact that the Atlético locker room respects him as a footballer without taking into account his relationship with the coach. “The last name doesn’t weigh me down, it makes me proud,” he usually responds every time he is asked about the responsibility of supporting the heavy burden of lineage. “He gives his life in training and in games,” said Witsel at the end of the match with Leganés.

These virtues are the ones that most relate him to the player his father was, more complete than him with the ball. Those who know him also relate to the shyness of both of them when it comes to interacting firsthand and more ease in handling short distances when they gain confidence. They also agree on their status as superstitious. Giuliano plays with a red bandage on his right hand since Luis Suárez told him that he hadn’t taken it off since the first time he put it on and scored. Pure Simeone.