Johnny Cardoso is the best American player at the moment. The 11.45 kilometers he covered at the Tottenham Hotspur Stadium made him the player who ran the most in the match (he had also been the player who ran the most in the first leg at the Metropolitano, surpassing both times by more than 1,000 meters), the six steals that allowed him to lead this facet in Atletico, his suffocating pressure on Sarr in the 80th minute or the maneuver to get the ball out and start the counterattack finished with Julian’s goal confirmed last Wednesday in London that not only does Simeone have the No.5 he so longed for, but that the United States could have one of the best midfielders in the Champions League.
However, it would not be a passing issue, as on the eve of another high-profile test like the one at the Bernabeu, Johnny’s good work is also bearing fruit in LaLiga, as after 783 minutes as a Rojiblanco he offers even more brilliant percentages than those that led Atletico to find the No.5 they needed at Betis. Thus, he has grown in passing percentage (88.4% vs. 86.2%), passes completed per game (41.8 vs. 32.7), ball progression with passing (9.43 vs. 6.11) and dribbling (3.45 vs. 2.36), recoveries (3.58 vs. 3.18), tackles (4.78 vs. 2.72), defensive duels (10 vs. 7.08), efficiency in the box (2.35 vs. 2.22) and chances created (0.46 vs. 0.37). Statistics, in turn, that make him the most relevant American footballer in the current football scene, which is important ahead of a World Cup in which he could be present after the previous step by Neptuno with which he pushes with his performance.
It is not surprising, therefore, that Simeone, despite the fact that Musso had dressed as Oblak to embitter Tottenham and Julian Alvarez was once again shining in the guise of a world-class player, showed the weakness he felt for his silent hero: Cardoso. In fact, after another colossal performance, the coach already knows that he finally has a reliable midfielder for the ‘finals’ that lie ahead once he has overcome the ordeal of injuries that prevented him from having a starring role during the first part of the season. However, before London, he was already showing signs of the impact he could have in Atletico’s midfield, especially in the final stretch of the visit to the Camp Nou in the Copa del Rey, when he was the mainstay who balanced and allowed the rest to shine.
His work in silence and on his own, key to the explosion
Within Johnny’s evident step forward, there are two other factors that delight the Cholo. On the one hand, his silent and patient work when the misfortune of injuries did not let him show the football he had inside. On the other hand, his desire to improve and his high professionalism, translated into the hours of work he dedicates beyond the Cerro. In this sense, the Brazilian-American’s desire to achieve perfection and perform at his best leads him to have a personal analyst who not only breaks down each performance and that of the opponents he is going to face, but also prepares him mentally, focusing both tactically and psychologically.
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