Diego Simeone has publicly backed Ademola Lookman to snap out of his slow start at Atletico Madrid. The timing is no accident. Atletico host Bayern Munich at the Riyadh Air Metropolitano tonight, with kick-off at 9pm Nigerian time, in matchday four of the Champions League league phase.
Speaking at his Monday press conference, the Atletico boss told reporters,
“I have a lot of faith in him.” He added that bad spells are part of the game and urged the Super Eagles forward not to get frustrated.
Simeone then pointed to two familiar examples. Julian Alvarez went through a difficult stretch last year before coming out on top.
Similarly, Antoine Griezmann went through dry runs and bounced back. The message was simple: Lookman can do the same.
Beyond the pep talk, Simeone also explained why he still rates the winger. According to him, Lookman is one of the few players in the squad who can take on defenders one-on-one deep in the final third, and late in games that is where goals tend to come from.
Even so, the numbers explain the concern. Lookman has two goals and one assist in 14 appearances across all competitions this season.
His only league goal came against Sevilla in August. Meanwhile, his minutes have shrunk. He came off the bench for just 14 minutes in Atletico’s 2-0 win over Levante on October 31.
Part of the problem started early. Simeone apologised in August for playing him out of position in the first two league games. Since then, he has struggled to settle.
On the other hand, the Champions League has offered some hope. Lookman has one goal and one assist in three appearances, scoring against Manchester United and setting up a goal against Stuttgart.
However, all three were substitute outings. He is yet to start a game in the competition this season.
That makes tonight interesting. Some projected line-ups have him starting on the left side of the attack behind Alvarez, although Simeone has not confirmed his team.
Tonight’s game is the immediate test. After that, Atletico host Barcelona in La Liga on November 8, another big stage where Lookman could force his way back into the starting XI.
