From a dagger in his father's back to the hero of Anoeta: Giuliano Simeone silences the critics with a practical response
Giuliano Simeone answered his recent critics in the best possible way.
Atlético Madrid returned to winning ways yesterday, Sunday, beating hosts Real Sociedad 3-0 in the fifth round of the Spanish league.
Alejandro Grimaldo (84th minute, penalty), Jonathan David (90th minute) and Giuliano Simeone (90+5) scored Atlético's three goals.
The newspaper "Marca" said Giuliano's name had recently been used as a weapon against his coach and father, Diego Simeone. A wave of criticism followed. In the end, it did nothing but reveal a wonderful side of the character of Simeone's son.
At the Anoeta, Giuliano's face lit up with joy as he celebrated his stoppage-time goal, wearing the expression of a child who has finally rid himself of a heavy burden.
"I have nothing to add, Giuliano's performance and his conduct speak for themselves," Simeone said in the press conference before travelling to San Sebastián.
A few hours later, after Giuliano's stoppage-time strike, the Atlético Madrid coach wanted to highlight the play that preceded the goal.
He said: "Giuliano's goal, which came in the 92nd minute after a wonderful burst amid three defenders, is something that many people do not truly appreciate."
More than 90 minutes of tireless work had already gone into his legs. The Atlético player picked up the ball more than 50 metres from goal, produced a wonderful individual effort and got the better of Remiro to score.
His work rate cannot be questioned. It is almost impossible to know where Atlético Madrid's number 20 actually plays on the pitch.
One moment he is the player closing down the five-man defensive line. The next he is the team's most advanced player in attack.
Against Real Sociedad, the young Atlético player delivered a wonderful defensive performance, shutting down one of the team's most important attacking outlets. Sergio Gómez and Guedes down the left flank saw first-hand just how much support Giuliano can offer his full-back.
His tireless work in support of Pubill let Atlético neutralise one of their most prominent attacking lines. Eight ball recoveries made his defensive role extremely effective.
In attack, Giuliano stretched the width of the pitch to become the most advanced player for most of the match. Oblak aimed his long passes towards the Argentine, and Giuliano took on difficult defensive duties.
Nor were his attacking contributions limited to playing as a forward. On his flank, he constantly moved into the empty spaces that Kang-in could not find.
The statistics rarely mention this kind of effort. Yesterday's goal, though, took Giuliano's tally to two this season, making him the team's second-best scorer after Baena.
Add an assist to those two goals and it marks his best start with the Rojiblancos. All of this over 452 minutes on the pitch. He is the second most-used player in matches, behind only Hancko, who has played every minute. Giuliano contributes a goal every 150 minutes this season. The final figures will no doubt prove the Argentine coach's words correct, but his work rate cannot be measured in numbers. His performance at the Anoeta shows he still possesses great energy.
