Given that Diego Costa missed most of the campaign through injury and given that Joao Felix struggled to adapt, Llorente’s skillset was analyzed by Simeone and, after using it on the right-wing at Valencia and against Liverpool, the Spaniard played even further ahead since the restart and answered thoroughly.
Llorente never imagined that he could be used as a striker
It seems that it was a last-minute realization or a spontaneous moment when Diego Simeone decided to take Marcos Llorente further forward, but this is a positional change that has been thought about for a long time. We must return to November 2019 to find out when Simeone concluded that Llorente could be of use further forward. Given that Diego Costa missed most of the campaign through injury and given that Joao Felix struggled to adapt. Llorente’s skillset was analyzed by Simeone and, after using it on the right-wing at Valencia and against Liverpool. The Spaniard played even further ahead since the restart and answered thoroughly. “Never in his life did he imagine that being used as a striker. But seeing how he was training and his technical attributes, we began to consider this as an option,” Simeone explained.
He scored four and assisted three goals
“We saw that he creates goals, scores goals, and also does it in training. We discussed the move with him, and it was an essential alternative in the field, where this can give us extra pressure. “In the last seven matches, Llorente scored four goals and added three assists in just 391 minutes of football, and that’s quite the return. His physical growth allows him to press opposing defenses from the front. So he can lead the counterattack that Atletico Madrid’s game has been built under the guidance of the former River Plate coach. After signing from rivals Real Madrid in the summer. There was an initial period of bemusement at why Simeone did not use Llorente.
He wasn’t in the coach’s plans until the 14th match when he began to play. And now, with Anfield’s miracle in his back pocket, he was a new signing for Los Rojiblancos’ attack. It is unclear whether Simeone will adhere to this tactic in the upcoming matches. Especially with the Spaniard being careful not to suspend.