By Graham Ruthven
Juan Musso had his two busiest evenings of the season against Barcelona in the last round of the Champions League. With Atlético Madrid defending for their lives (and a place in the competition’s semi-finals) at points of the quarter-final tie, the Argentine made a season-high seven saves in both legs. He prevented a Catalan comeback.
While the likes of Julián Alvarez, Antoine Griezmann and Ademola Lookman have had the spotlight on them for the majority of Atleti’s Champions League run to this point, Musso’s contribution hasn’t been highlighted to the same extent. By almost every measure, though, he is one of Diego Simeone’s most important players.
It wasn’t so long ago that Jan Oblak was considered one of the best goalkeepers in the game. The Slovenian was Atlético Madrid’s number one for a number of years. Injury, however, opened the door for Musso to stake a claim and the 31-year-old made the most of the opportunity.
Oblak is now fit again, but is expected to be on the bench for the Champions League semi-final against Arsenal. The Slovenian started the recent league matches against Elche and Athletic Club, rotated into the lineup amid a run of season-defining fixtures in the Copa del Rey and Champions League.
Conceding five goals in two games, though, Oblak was shaky. At this point, Atlético’s defence appears much more confident and assured with Musso behind them. It would be a shock if Simeone didn’t restore the Argentine to his starting lineup for Wednesday’s encounter with Arsenal.
“Juan Musso is an important figure within the group and the dressing room,” said Simeone when asked about the profound impact of the 31-year-old over the last few months. “He brings energy from wherever he’s needed and offers far more than just what he provides as a goalkeeper.”
Only a matter of weeks ago, Simeone and Atlético seemed to be facing something of a reckoning. The back-to-back league defeats to Real Betis and Rayo Vallecano raised questions about the Argentinean manager’s future at the club. Some fans felt it was time for a change. Sentiment had started to turn against Simeone.
Since then, though, the landscape has shifted. Lookman joined from Atalanta in the January transfer window and Atleti became something different. Something more attack-minded and capable of beating the strongest opponents, namely Barcelona, who Atlético dumped out of both the Champions League and Copa del Rey.
Marcos Llorente and Giuliano Simeone offer energy, in and out of possession, while Koke, Johnny Cardoso, Pablo Barrios and Álex Baena have shared responsibilities in central midfield. Simeone has found the right balance and Atleti must be taken seriously as genuine Champions League contenders.
Defensively, this particular Atleti team isn’t at the level of previous Simeone teams. They aren’t capable of grinding out wins like past sides were. They lack a dominant centre back in the mould of someone like Diego Godín. They don’t have the midfield barrier of Gabi and Tiago in the centre of the pitch.
They do, however, have a goalkeeper at the peak of his powers. Musso has grown into the role of Atlético Madrid number one over the course of the season, earning the trust of Simeone after playing just 180 minutes in LaLiga last term. With every match he has played since then, Musso has grown in stature.
As a shot-stopper, there are few better than Musso. He showed this against Barcelona, making several stops when a lesser goalkeeper might have buckled. Standing 6ft 3” tall, the Argentine is physically imposing and backs himself to claim high crosses in the air. He has solid fundamentals.
Atlético Madrid don’t play a game that requires their goalkeeper to start possession sequences. Oblak certainly isn’t the most comfortable with the ball at his feet. Nonetheless, Musso is capable enough to handle a pass when he needs to. His direct distribution into the centre of the pitch is useful.
Musso knows what it takes to achieve European glory. He was Atalanta’s starting goalkeeper when they won the Europa League two seasons ago. He had a front row seat for the Serie A outfit’s dominant 3-0 victory over Xabi Alonso’s Bayer Leverkusen in the final before moving to the Spanish capital to be Oblak’s deputy.
At 31, Musso is hardly young, but in goalkeeper years he still has plenty to offer. Having sat on the sidelines for a long time, it’s only now that he is proving his worth as a starting figure for Atlético. The Europa League winner could be a Champions League icon before too long.
(Images from IMAGO)
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