The 20-year-old Joao Felix struggling to make a mark after voted as the Golden Boy of 2019
Joao Felix, who was voted as “The Golden Boy” of 2019, bought by Diego Simeone for £118million, looks like the deal is more of a mess than an investment
Felix was on a roll, when he had played his first La Liga match for Athletico in August, and ended winning a penalty. After the game, Simeone said, ‘We need to find a way of getting him to do that more regularly. He needs to keep improving.’
It’s tough love from the manager born of a belief that Joao Felix is only going to make it if he matches the magic in his feet with some fire in his belly.
‘As well as talent you need to have commitment. When a player realizes why he is playing for Atletico then everything comes together,’ Simeone said on Wednesday when asked about Felix.
Felix in Athletico was a thoughtful move but looked like his rep with his manager a little messed up
In a game at Granada at the end of November Simeone put Felix on as a second-half substitute. The player had not long come back from a month-long ankle injury so he didn’t initiate any games.
Simeone suggested tp him at the 75min mark and told him to play from the middle with Morata. But during the 83rd minute, he went on to put Felix on a wide. Simeone instructed Poveda to move him on wide, but Felix kept his back and neglected his instructions
He was either knowingly defying Simeone or he had switched off, having only just come on. Either way, it was another dent to the coach-prodigy relationship.
It is proved that the two must now have co-ordination amongst each other. There are many players who have come and gone in the club and if Felix didn’t show the positive points of him staying in the club.
