Can Lookman revive Atlético ... and upset Barça in the process?

Madrid — When Ademola Lookman rifled home his debut goal in Atlético Madrid’s 5-0 Copa del Rey demolition of Real Betis last week, the roar inside the Metropolitano was only partly for the scoreline. The other part was relief, curiosity and a dash of hope that the 28-year-old Nigerian international might be the catalyst Diego Simeone’s side have lacked since they last lifted silverware five seasons ago.

Lookman arrived from Atalanta on a cut-price €35 million deal after a contract stand-off that limited him to just 797 competitive minutes this season. Yet the Londoner’s cameo against Betis—goal, assist and constant menace—hinted that rust may be shed quickly. Now the question is whether one sparkling night in Seville can stretch into a two-legged semifinal against holders Barcelona, the first leg live on ESPN+ at 3 p.m. ET on 12 February.

The tactical plot writes itself. Lookman operates primarily down the left, the zone patrolled by Barça’s Jules Koundé, a right-back whose rampaging forays have repeatedly left him exposed. Behind Koundé, 18-year-old wunderkind Lamine Yamal has scored five goals in five straight matches—24 for the campaign, faster at this age than even Kylian Mbappé—but must decide how often he tracks back to help contain Atlético’s new wildcard.

Simeone’s staff believe Lookman’s two-footed dribbling, straight-line pace and eye for slide-rule passes can exploit the 35-40 metres of vacant grass behind Barça’s high back line, space normally covered by sweeper-keeper Joan García. The plan is simple: win the ball, spring Koke or Álex Baena, and release Lookman before Hansi Flick’s press resets. Matteo Ruggeri, another January recruit and former Atalanta teammate, already speaks the same passing language, as does Copa goalkeeper Juan Musso—each featured in the 2024 Europa League final win over Xabi Alonso’s Leverkusen.

Barcelona know Lookman only in passing. He trained with Dani Olmo at RB Leipzig and the pair snatched a 0-0 draw from Flick’s Bayern in 2020, but there is no backlog of LaLiga tape for Koundé to study. That unfamiliarity, Atlético hope, turns into hesitation.

Still, the variables are quintessentially Atléti. Lookman’s fitness is inching upward; he lasted 70 league minutes in Sunday’s 1-0 loss to Betis, a cameo that ended with director of football Mateu Alemany caught on camera wearing a frown that spoke of internal tension over Simeone’s handling of the club’s expensive asset. Spanish-radio analysis from club legend Kiko—Simeone’s 1996 double-winning strike partner—suggested coaxing consistent excellence from the globetrotting forward will test the manager’s famed man-management.

If the gamble lands, Atlético could reach their first final since 2020 and end a half-decade drought. If it misfires, Yamal and Koundé are waiting to punish any over-commitment just as ruthlessly as they have dismantled opponents all season.

For ten days, Spanish football will watch a micro-war on one flank: Lookman and Ruggeri versus Yamal and Koundé. Welcome to Spain, Ademola—Atlético’s season may hinge on how that duel unfolds.

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