Saul Niguez has arrived
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You would be forgiven to have not heard much of Saul Niguez before this game. The 21-year-old Spaniard has only come to life in an Atletico shirt this season. Now an ever-present entity in Diego Simeone’s midfield setup, Saul Niguez declared to the world on the night exactly why he is so highly rated by those inside the Atletico Madrid hierarchy and Diego Simeone himself.
Saul Niguez has been quite the handy player in Atletico's setup in the last year or so and was a crucial part for Rayo Vallecano the year before. This year he seems to have gone into overdrive. With a solid number of appearances, Saul’s energy, ability on the ball and discipline off it has been nurtured well by Diego Simeone who reaped the benefit most noticeably in this game.
Not only did Saul Niguez score the winner in the game, his attempt was almost Maradona-esque. He took the ball and ran at defenders at will, leaving behind the likes of Juan Bernat and Xabi Alonso before finally outwitting David Alaba to shoot past Neuer.
During the course of the game, he took more shots and created a great opening for his teammate Koke who flicked into the side netting. On the night, off the ball, Saul was everywhere, defending for his life.
Saul Niguez’s performance on the night seems to have announced his arrival on the European Scene.
