Joao Félix scores and shines against Simeone

2023-09-21 02:26:06

For fans of Atlético, the last week has been torture. While his team was devastated at the weekend by a teenage Valencia and, later, surprised in its European debut by Lazio, a 1-1 tie achieved in stoppage time by the Italian goalkeeper, Joao Felixthe plagued by Simeone, gave free rein to his spectacular football in his first games as a Barcelona player.

Nothing to do with the Portuguese striker’s form or commitment to his stay in the club. Metropolitana cheerful hummingbird locked in a perpetual cage, now released on the Catalan grass and very well directed by Xavi. The coach only needed a few training sessions to realize that, now, he has in his hands a talent that can take Barça to a higher dimension, to a place he thought he could not reach.

A very different scenario from that experienced under the command of Simeone, who did not trust his defensive deployment despite his ability to decide a game with his flashes, which he damaged or intended to correct with his instructions. The situation created an unbreathable atmosphere in the red and white locker room. And the Portuguese turned into a brat, due to his gestures, his continuous anger and the final message of him throwing himself at the fans. Bad faces and scars that still linger because, every time Félix scores, he looks at the camera and shrugs his shoulders, a “that’s all, friends” or “what you’re missing.” When the Portuguese scores, he not only does it for his new team, he also sends a shot against Simeone.

Three goals and two assists (the drop he makes to Lewandowski against Betis, as much as the rigorous ones don’t like it, is an assist) in three games have been his presentation numbers against the Barça parish, totally dedicated to the Portuguese star , so much so that he already allows himself the luxury of chanting his name during meetings in Montjuic. Some of them were beautifully crafted, like the one who scored against the Sevillians after unpredictably dribbling past the goalkeeper, and others of pure faith, like the header against Antwerp.

However, his fit at Barcelona is seen beyond the statistics. Gundogan and De Jong They deliver the leather without fear and allow themselves to be more creative, more incisive and gain height in the field to spin beautiful constructions. Gavi, who until now had acted more as a midfielder, has cleared the area for the Portuguese and has gone to the midfield, where he can display his impressive physique and be a participant in the construction of the game. AND Lewandowskiof course.

The Pole is the one who is enjoying the arrival of Félix, focused on the finish and not on the back game. The forward had started the season with two goals in four games. Since he is escorted by Félix from the beginning, two in two duels.

«I have told him to enjoy it, to have fun, that the easier it is to play, the more goals he will score. I think he’s having a good time,” said Xavi after the striker’s performance against the Antwerp. Messages opposite to those he heard from his previous boss, who forced him to act in positions far from his own, to play against his characteristics and to spend most of the minutes on the bench.

Xavi, dazzled

«I don’t want to go into how I was there, it doesn’t suit me. We will give you all the love, any help to make you feel good. She has an extraordinary talent. It depends on performance, but we believe it can give us a lot. “I’m excited,” acknowledged the Catalan coach, who at first was not very convinced of the player’s arrival but who, now, like the rest of the Barcelona fans, is excited every time he plays. Félix ties the ball near the rival goal. He has found a place that enhances him and the connection with his colleagues.

Félix is ​​not a player who plays a round game, who carries the weight of the team from start to finish and who does not make mistakes. In fact, many times the rush or the desire to impress the crowd gets the better of him. A reality as true as, when he has a spark, the game changes, his determination spectacular when the ball approaches the area. We do not know if Félix will become the player that Atlético thought when they paid 120 million for him to Benfica. But, without a doubt, the Portuguese, after several years of frustration and frowning, is enjoying football again. For the good of Barcelona and the bad for Simeone.