LThe new 90 minutes played last morning against Venezuela to raise its internationalities to 72 increase the feeling that the figure of Rodrigo DePaul in it Atlético: the hierarchy and weight that it exhibits in each appearance with Argentina still do not manifest themselves regularly in the Metropolitanurging the need for a step forward on the part of the midfielder that will allow him once and for all to perform at the same level dressed in red and white.
Become the best squire of Messi both on and off the field, in an irreplaceable piece in the formations of Stairs and one of the undisputed leaders of the Albicelestethe feeling that De Paul gives off at Atlético is that this world-class footballer remains to be seen, even though he is already in his fourth season at the club.
Without going any further, in his last appearance before the break, he incomprehensibly gave a ball to an opponent who had a ball behind him that required a forward pass to launch the counterattack that was the origin of the tie. Real. An error inappropriate for a player of his quality that summed up a 26-minute performance that was totally misguided and lacked the soul that emanates when he puts on his country’s shirt.
A double face that is far from being a specific situation, since it is not the first time it has manifested itself. In fact, during the first months of his second season at Atlético, De Paul appeared as one of the pointed out in the calamitous start that led the red and whites to say goodbye to the fight for LaLiga during the November break for the dispute of the Qatar World Cup. An appointment that would end up elevating the midfielder, fundamental in the conquest of Argentina and that would cause him, upon his return to the team, to encounter the rejection of his own fans due to the antagonistic sensations transmitted with one shirt and another.
A key season in his future
With the condition of world champion in tow, De Paul would not take long to change whistles for applause, because in the following months he would also be one of those responsible for the brilliant reaction with which Atlético would amend its trajectory and once again deliver, as always since Simeone is on the bench, the objectives set by the club. However, his big problem is that the hierarchy demonstrated then and his outstanding football (he managed to distribute six of his 15 assists as a red and white player in that final stretch) is still not reflected regularly, alternating between important performances and more controversial ones.
In this sense, El Cholo He has always defended his ability to find the pass that others do not see, but he is also no stranger to the fact that he has not yet managed to put the team behind him like he does in Argentina. In fact, it is the lack of continuity that has De Paul in ‘debt’ to the fans and all the Atlético groups, because on the occasions in which he claimed the spotlight, he always left his mark. Without going any further, he opened the scoring in the victory against Dortmund in the first leg of the quarterfinals of the last Champions League and against Athletic to pave a new European classification.
Goal by Rodrigo de Paul (1-0) in Atlético de Madrid 2-1 Borussia Dortmund
Examples, beyond any of his performances with Argentina, that push Atlético to demand that step forward from a footballer with the skills to also be a leader in the locker room, thanks to his complicity with Griezmann or the leading role that he also played in convincing Julian Alvarez to begin his adventure in red and white. In fact, the wait for De Paul can no longer be prolonged in time, since with a contract until 2026, next summer seems crucial to see where a future is headed, which may be determined by performance this season.
