As soon as the prospect of Luis Suarez joining Atletico Madrid emerged, we have all enjoyed a great deal of predictable humour about the idea of Suarez teaming up with Diego Costa to terrorise and mutilate opposition defenders.
Even Costa himself has contributed to the comedy, quipping that “one us will be fighting and the other biting” after Sunday’s mightily impressive 6-1 victory over Granada which saw both strikers get on the scoresheet.
Costa and Suarez, the ultimate nightmare package, the deliverers of doom and gloom, the forwards from hell.
Yes, yes. How droll.
As amusing as it might be, however, that image completely misses the main point of Atletico’s revamped attack. Because in reality, even if Costa stays with Atletico – which the striker himself has admitted may well not happen – he and Suarez will not actually play alongside each other very often.
They are too similar to be used together and, aside from rare occasions when Atletico are chasing a goal and opt to throw the kitchen sink at their opponents, it will be a case of Suarez or Costa rather than both of them – this was shown, indeed, by Suarez’s debut on Sunday when Costa was the man he replaced.
For that spectacular 20-minute burst against Granada, Suarez was accompanied in attack by another substitute, Marcos Llorente, who will undoubtedly have a significant part to play over the coming months as his transformation from defensive midfielder to destructive forward continues.
However, the teammate with whom Suarez can forge the most devastating partnership is neither Llorente nor Costa, but the man who can really make a difference and, with the help of Suarez, transform Atletico into a title-winning team: Joao Felix.
The Portuguese starlet was sensational against Granada. With one goal scored, one goal assisted, one penalty won and three chances created, his numbers speak for themselves. More than the plain stats, though, Felix’s performance was notable because he was so integral to his team’s overall approach to the game – something we did not always see last season.
Throughout the contest he was heavily involved in link-up play, with many of his 51 touches coming in that crucial zone of the field around the edge of the final third, exactly where a creative player like Felix should be attempting to find space and make things happen between the lines of the opposition midfield and defence.
Most tellingly, even though he only played for 70 minutes against Granada, that total of 51 touches of the ball was higher than any game Felix played for Atletico last season except one (he had 56 in 90 minutes during a home meeting with Leganes).
This suggests Simeone has taken heed of the criticism that he failed to get enough out of the young forward during his debut campaign at the Wanda Metropolitano, and has worked hard to find ways of getting Felix more involved in the action. And this, from Atletico’s perspective, can only be good news.
With Felix playing an enhanced role, Atletico should be able to perform with much more rhythm, fluidity and penetration, the key elements that have been infamously lacking from their game over the last few years (probably ever since Arda Turan, a truly fundamental but often overlooked player in the 2013/14 title-winning team, departed for Barcelona back in 2015).
So far, we have not yet seen Felix and Suarez playing together. As the latter entered the field on Sunday, the former departed. But it is a treat we should very much look forward to, because there is every reason to believe they will form a special partnership: Suarez occupying the opposing central defenders and utilising his clever movement to find space inside the box, and Felix drifting around on the perimeter of the penalty area to deliver his number 9 with goalscoring opportunities.
This kind of service, of course, is exactly what Suarez had the pleasure of receiving from a certain Lionel Messi over the last few years. And while it would be ridiculous to suggest that Joao Felix can become as good as the Argentine (nobody ever will, let’s face it), he can certainly fill the same role in terms of cohesion and creativity. After a modest first campaign in Spanish football, hopefully this season we will get to see how good the Portuguese star really is.
On Sunday, Felix and Suarez were the outstanding performers for Atletico: the former during the first 70 minutes, and the latter for the last 20. When they get the chance to play together, which could happen as soon as Wednesday evening’s trip to Huesca, it could be very special.
Forget the combination of Costa and Suarez, the fighter and the biter. The thing you really have to watch out for is the silk and steel of Joao Felix and Luis Suarez, potentially one of the best forward pairings in the game. Watch out La Liga (and further beyond)…the new Atletico are coming.
