In January, the glass was already a pool. and it was overflowing. The relationship between Simeone and João Félix was none and their paths separated. The footballer, the most expensive in the club’s history, who paid 120 million in the summer of 2019 to Benfica for his transfer, wanted to play and three and a half seasons later he had not managed to become essential for Cholo, fueled the fracture between one and the other in recent months, the return of the best Griezmann, with gestures from the Portuguese throwing the bib in anger when the coach opted for Witsel’s entry and not his after having been warming up throughout the second part in the band. And then January arrived, and after a World Cup in which Gil Marín recognized this fracture in statements to TVE, and a loan to Chelsea became the solution to unblock the problem. Three months later, the directions of one and the other could not be more different.
Because if Atlético had reached that World Cup in Qatar at its worst with Cholo, the first time in his eleven full seasons at the helm outside of Europe, of all the Europe, Champions and Europa League, with the defeat in Porto, the last game of the group stage that left him fourth, with nothing in February, and an erratic course in the Leagueout of the Champions positions when the competitions for the world event stopped, now he lives installed in happiness and in numbers that are already the usual numbers of Atleti del Cholo. In the League, for example, since João Félix packed his suitcase and went to London, he has gone eleven games without losing with eight wins and three draws. In fact, after the World Cup he has only lost one game and it was when the Portuguese was still in Madrid: against Barcelona, on January 8. João, true, was the starter.
João’s numbers
Three days after that match, the clubs made the transfer official, after the Portuguese extended his relationship with the rojiblanco for another year for a price of around ten million euros, far from the hundred that the player’s representative was looking for. and that no club applied. A João who, like Saúl the year before, in a similar assignment, the youth player did not feel comfortable with his new role in the team eitherlinked in too many games to the left side, and who went on loan to Chelsea, where nothing went as expected since the first game where Tuchel changed him at half-time and seemed to put a cross on him that nothing started anymore. João, in his first match as blueshone, with six shots on goal and bells, unmarking and spoutsbut his performance was marred by a red card in the 58th minute after a tackle. Chelsea lost that game. A result that has not ceased to be a trend.
Because if Atleti only counts their League games without defeat since João Félix is not here, in London, Chelsea does not straighten the course. João has played eight games (the red one at the premiere had a penalty of four without playing) with only two wins, plus two draws and four losses. And not only that, in the last week, the bad course of the team has taken the coach, Graham Potter, ahead, just two weeks before the start of the Champions League quarterfinal tie against Real Madrid. A photo-finish that, for now, seems to direct all the sun on the rojiblancos, but that’s all, for now. Because while Atlético, Cholo and their boys only play to be second, one day a week, but only for that, to be above Madrid in the table as a title, the Portuguese does it to reach the Champions League semifinals against those of Ancelotti and who knows if more. Tonight Chelsea plays against Liverpool, maybe they can start escaping the cold in their footsteps from now on.