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The forward’s arrival could herald a new era of offensive threat at Wanda Metropolitano, but only if his coach loosens his tense reins.
They may still be waiting to share their first minutes on the pitch with Atlético de Madrid, but everything indicates that Diego Costa and Luis Suárez are ready to strike fear in the hearts of La Liga.
That, at least, was the impression Costa gave after the Uruguayan made his outstanding debut against Granada on Sunday, with two goals and one assist.
“I don’t know how a team like Barcelona let a player like Suárez go,” he explained to Movistar, while also suggesting that the couple’s talents will complement each other perfectly.
“It’s great, one of us kicks and the other bites.”
Both strikers’ reputations for uncompromising, sometimes violent play precede them, to the point where they can joke about their past crimes.
But despite moving slowly toward the twilight of their careers, both Costa and Suárez remain lethal in front of goal; A fact that was too evident against Granada in the premiere of Atlético’s 2020-21 League.
Former Spanish international Costa needed just nine minutes to open the scoring before Joao Félix and Ángel Correa added their own goals to put Diego Simeone’s men 3-0 up when Suarez bowed.
Determined to make his mark on his new team, the former Liverpool star mounted Marcos Llorente within seconds of getting off the bench and soon added two goals of his own, sealing a resounding 6-1 victory that has further raised expectations after his sensational switch to La Liga.
But not everything depends on Suárez, nor does it depend on Costa.
The onus will also fall on the famed Atletico coach to allow his stars the chance to show what they’re made of and compete with players like Barça and Real Madrid on what is now almost a level playing field.
Since arriving in the Spanish capital from Racing Club in early 2012, Simeone has shaped the club in his image.
El Cholo’s Atlético is a herd of Rottweilers, growling and biting at any intruder who dares to invade Colchonero’s goal and happy to sacrifice attacking power if it means nullifying the opponent’s own capabilities.
The Argentine is pragmatic, passionate and risk averse almost to the limit, keeping all the teams he has trained to date under strict discipline and control.
Defense comes first, second and third in a Simeone team, a strategy that was continued at first out of necessity when taking over a chaotic athlete eight years ago, but has grown to define him and the club even as they have become in one. from the most powerful sides of Europe.
This approach has yielded undeniable success, transforming the previously aimless club into a legitimate contender for honors in both Spain and Europe.
But it also has its limitations, which were exposed in the most painful way in August.
Facing a team like RB Leipzig, strong enough in its efficient way but far from the level of the best on the continent, particularly in the absence of Chelsea leader Timo Werner, Atlético froze.
They lacked the ability or inclination to look beyond Simeone’s safety playbook and prevail over their inferior rivals, leading to a timid and lackluster display and elimination from the Champions League when the semifinals appeared in the horizon.
The signing of a forward like Suárez, capable of 30 or more goals per season, together with the talent already present in the Atleti squad should be interpreted by both Simeone and the players themselves as a declaration of intent; the dawn of a new, more arrogant era.
Suarez, after all, doesn’t just score goals, he also creates opportunities by the dozen; a fact his new boss was keen to point out after Sunday’s spectacular cameo.
“I did not highlight his two goals, but his assists, his runs and his movement,” Simeone said after the game. “The arrival of an important player improves the team, but the team was already doing very well. Now we will continue to take it game by game, as always.
“The arrival of Suárez generates a very good internal competition and if the 23 players accept the minutes they are going to get, we will surely compete well.”
Given Barça’s continuing woes off the pitch and Madrid’s struggles to generate consistent and effective attacking football, even as they pull off result after result, 2020-21 appears to be Atlético’s best chance since 2014 to topple the giants and recover. the Spanish crown.
Both Suarez and Simeone, however, know that titles are not won by overwhelming players like Granada or the newly promoted Huesca, Atlético’s next rival on Wednesday.
They will have to produce throughout the season and against their fellow heavyweights, displaying the mindset and talent to face them at their own game and win rather than retreat into their shell.
Suarez’s arrival has the potential to add a real bite to the club’s already formidable growl and bark.
Now it’s up to Simeone to use that extra firepower and turn his charges into a truly fearsome unit both front and rear, even if it means occasionally taking the kinds of risks he’s avoided throughout his career. on the bench.
