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Atletico Madrid won all three points against Espanyol on Saturday night bit they lose a little but of their soul with news that Tiago broke the tibia of his right leg in the first half of the tie. The central midfielder went down gripping his right calf following an innocuous collision with Marco Asensio.
Dr. Jose Maria Villain, the head of Atletico Madrid medical services, said: "tomorrow (Sunday) Tiago will undergo surgery. The injury will take four months to heal. He will return before the end of the season."
Atletico confirmed their fans' worst fears when they tweeted almost directly after the game that he had suffered a broken tibia.
PARTE MÉDICO. Tiago sufre una fractura no desplazada en el tercio medio de la tibia derecha. pic.twitter.com/cGOfxLl9t3
— Atlético de Madrid (@Atleti) November 28, 2015
Replacing Tiago
On an individual level, Tiago had been playing some of the best football of his career, but as a team Atletico Madrid will miss their most solid option at the base of their midfield.
You never really replace a player of Tiago's ilk but Atletico will have to try. His injury means Saul Niguez will see significantly more playing time in the coming weeks. The 21 year old is considered to be one of the best up and coming midfielders in Spain and Europe but has been kept out of the team by Gabi and Tiago's almost telepathic relationship.
Matias Kranevitter arrives in Madrid in January after the Club World Cup and has been compared to Javier Mascherano. A similar player to Tiago in that he has an excellent range of passing and knows exactly where to position himself at all time. He has been capped by Argentina three times and was prominent in River Plate's successful Copa Libertadores campaign this year.
#AnimoTiago
Players and fans quickly rallied in support of Tiago and there were plenty of tweets to suggest just how much of a loss the player would be to Atletico's ranks.
Filipe Luis said that there is no reason to celebrate as the best player in La Liga so far had been injured.
Hoy no hay motivos para celebrar, se ha lesionado el mejor jugador de la @laliga hasta el momento.… https://t.co/Z2rrzaki45
— Filipe Luís (@filipeluis) November 28, 2015
Diego Simeone also had some heartwarming things to say about their holding midfielder.
. @Simeone: "We send Tiago all the engery of the group, the club, the fans; we love him dearly." #ÁnimoTiago pic.twitter.com/L4n87ZcCHz
— Atleti English (@atletienglish) November 28, 2015
Everyone at Into The Calderon would like to wish Tiago the very best and a speedy recovery.