Gio Moreno responds to criticism and assures that he is willing to adapt, otherwise he would not “have agreed to reach Nacional”

At the start of the season there was a huge expectation regarding the great signings of the different teams in the BetPlay League. One of those was Giovanni Moreno's return to Atlético Nacional, something that many purdolaga fans have been looking forward to for years and that generated enormous enthusiasm for the great numbers he left between 2008 and 2010.

Remember that Gio Moreno officially made his debut in Envigado in 2006, then moved to Atlético Nacional, where he played more than 80 games and scored 45 goals. He then signed with Racing Club de Avellaneda, where he also had good performances and in 2012 decided to go play Shanghai Shenhua. In the Chinese team he played 10 seasons, becoming one of the top benchmarks of the team.

However, on January 14, 2022, his return to Atlético Nacional was officially confirmed and since then he has played nine matches, eight for the BetPlay League and one for the Copa Libertadores, he has earned 290 minutes on the court and has scored a single goal, in the 1-2 victory against Envigado for the 7th date of the local league.

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His performances have not been what many expected on his return and some have even used social media to criticize him. In a press conference prior to the 12th date where Atlético Nacional will face Deportivo Cali, the 35-year-old referred to his time in Colombian football, he said that if he was not willing to adapt, he would not have accepted the Paisa team's proposal.

“You constantly have to adapt to everything, here or in China. Football is evolving and asking for other things. You want to train yourself for a game idea and a system. If I wasn't willing to do that, I wouldn't have agreed to come to Nacional,” said Gio Moreno, who also referred to his contract with Atlético Nacional, “we have to wait what happens this semester. Once it's over, we'll analyze what's going to happen.”

Deportivo Cali, who had a bad defense of the title won in December and is penultimate in the table, will host the Antioquian club at home. About the duel, Moreno said, “Cali is not doing the best tournament, but you can't forget that he is the champion of the league. That makes it a complicated match. I think it's going to be another classic and we hope to get it out in the best possible way.”

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Regarding the last matches he has played and his return to the midfield, the former Shanghai player Shenhua noted that, “That is my natural position. I've always been accompanied by a tip. I can also play 9, but it depends on the players next to me. Having our players, there are several in that position.”

Let us remember that Atlético Nacional was eliminated against Olimpia in the qualifying round of the Copa Libertadores against Olimpia in Paraguay with an overall score of 2-4, that same week after the elimination, he faced Medellin in the Antioquia classic. Giovanni Moreno regretted that he could not be in those two important games and said that, “It's sad, because they are two games that anyone would like to be in. The coaching staff put up with me until the last moment, but I wasn't in a position to compete.”

Atlético Nacional on the next date will face an urgent Deportivo Cal i at the Palmaseca stadium, the match will take place on March 21 at 6:10 p.m. Recall that the team that is now led by Hernán Darío Herrera is second in the standings with 23 points and is three points behind Millonarios, who is the leader.

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