Barça retains the lead in a forceful exercise against an Atlético that ended up devastated

Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde was what the Metropolitano experienced with two teams exchanging roles first in parts and then by minutes. With a duel for leadership with limited gas tanks and tensions at the summits. It cannot be said that there was a great superiority of one over the other. The control and intensity were by neighborhood, but the forcefulness came more from the visiting side. Atlético touched the lead with their fingers, but Fermín's hammer knocked them off the top. [Narrative and statistics, 1-2]

"Duel of styles," Barça wrote on social networks shortly before the start of the game. The community manager does his team a disservice when the one he presents at the Metropolitano is Simeone's new Atlético, not the one that came out against Bayern, the timid one, but the bossy one, the one that disputes the ball with a team, the culé, that has had a certain vertigo at heights in recent times.

As a result of that version, the first 10 minutes of the duel were a spectacle that what Americans call football would like and that could be seen in the afternoon at the Santiago Bernabéu. Two crossbars, one per team, and several approaches, mainly red-and-white, made it impossible to blink for a respectable man who had to finish forgiving one of his own in this duel so marked on the calendar.

It was Julián Álvarez's game. In which the Argentine would have to kill or be killed. It seemed the latter when, in the fifth minute, he was left with only 40 meters to go to Joan García's goal. It seemed that it gave him time to think about the 136 days that his crisis unleashed by his words at the World Cup lasted. And then, it failed. And it seemed like everything was falling apart again. That the serious gesture would return. But not.

The Argentine remained so motivated that shortly afterward he put a perfect goal cross to Giuliano. In the 9th minute, that of Jesús DeMiguel. There is no better tribute to the Madrid footballer. From the sky he would applaud his Argentine teammate, from the ground the Metropolitano fell, who had also broken out into applause when both teams came out with the Tenerife player's number.

The goal woke up the former leader. The culés began to dominate possession and rest their tempo with Pedri, a player who works like a charm with a slower pace and, oddly enough, without Rodri by his side. It was seen in the United States and it is beginning to be seen a little at Barça. The Canarian began to focus the game on Lamine Yamal and the culé star did not disappoint. After several very dangerous slaloms, he warned with a shot to the side that it was about to be the tie. Fortunately, Baena was very aware of the culé star to help Grimaldo in his defense.

In the engine room was the difference between the two. Flick had bet on Bernal's youth instead of De Jong's experience. Simeone, however, knows that old hen makes good broth. Koke regained the starting place against Barça and provided the peace of mind that any rival of the culés needs to challenge him for control of the match. Then you have to want, of course, and Atlético wanted to.

But the path of will is not without obstacles. Sometimes accidental. A failed wall on the balcony of Oblak's area ended at the feet of Fermín, who did not forgive the gift and put it next to the Slovenian. The tie was unfair, but so is life and, therefore, football. Raphinha had not yet appeared and Lamine was gray within his capacity, it was not good news for the red and whites to go to the dugout with one on one.

Exchange of roles

Upon returning from the locker room, Flick was given a coach's attack and put De Jong at right back to control the game more, we understand. Cruyff was also seen as one of these, it is not a bad precedent, but the big change was in attitude. The culés are more connected and the rojiblancos are one point less intense. Pedri scared with a shot from outside the area. But the one who had another kilometer-long head-to-head was Julián and this time he was inclined to shoot a distant shot that went high. The forcefulness.

That's what Fermín has. Every time he steps into the area, if he doesn't score, he creates danger. He played first after a fairly basic play, without much defensive opposition. If this lack of concentration fails to wake up Atlético... Cholo tried it from the sideline, taking out all the gunpowder he had in the bank. To go for the culé jugular for the last 10 minutes, those that the Argentine attaches so much importance to.

But to attack you need the ball, and with so many forwards it was impossible to recover it in the final stages. Atlético wanted to break the lead and finished third behind Madrid. Luck was lacking first, then forcefulness and, in the end, energy. Barça recovers from its vertigo at the summits. Forcefulness.