<div><figure class="external-image"><img loading="lazy" class="aligncenter size-full wp-image-2192" src="http://epltalk.com/wp-content/blogs.dir/6/files/2009/10/Rojiblancos.jpg" alt="Rojiblancos" width="500" height="333"></figure></div>Halloween will arrive in a few days, but for Atlético Madrid, this season has been a complete nightmare from the beginning.&nbsp; Los rojiblancos hit their low point with a dull thud on Saturday when they could not fend off a nine-man Mallorca team and settled for a 1-1 draw at the Vicente Calderón.&nbsp; Even though Abel Resino received a vote of confidence from the Atleti boardroom earlier in the season, those kinds of assurances were fleeting at best, and when Atlético delivered an impotent performance in the 4-0 thrashing at the hands of Chelsea in the UEFA Champions League, the writing was clearly on the wall for the former Atlético goalkeeper.
More often than not, a mid-season coaching change leads to a temporary spike in results.&nbsp; Recent examples include Espanyol when Mauricio Pochettino replaced José Manuel Esnal, Real Madrid when Juande Ramos replaced Bernd Schuster, and Abel Resino himself when he replaced Javier Aguirre in the middle of the last campaign.&nbsp; The jury is still out on the new Quique Sánchez Flores era, but from the showing Atlético Madrid displayed against Mallorca, Sánchez Flores has plenty of work to inspire these dispirited players.
Temporary manager Santi Denia had very little time to prepare this team after the sacking of Abel Resino, but he made a couple of adjustments to the starting eleven by preferring Raúl García over Cléber Santana in the center of midfield as well as starting eighteen year old David de Gea in goal instead of the number one Sergio Asenjo.&nbsp; That change did not matter much in the early parts of the match as de Gea had little to do.&nbsp; For the first twenty-five minutes, the atmosphere on and off the pitch was very muted.&nbsp; Anxiousness permeated the Vicente Calderón as the uncertainty of the future for Atlético made the supporters and the players uneasy and unenthusiastic.&nbsp; Then the break Atlético Madrid desperately needed fell right into their laps.
Mallorca right back Josemi, trying to prevent a Simão pass from reaching Diego Forlán, struck the ball with his bicep inside the box, and referee César Muñiz Fernández immediately pointed to the penalty spot.&nbsp; Having already received a yellow card earlier in the match, Muñiz Fernández awarded Josemi a second yellow card for the incident, and Mallorca was down to ten men.&nbsp; Forlán stepped to the mark, and…
<div><figure class="external-image"><img loading="lazy" class="aligncenter size-full wp-image-2198" src="http://epltalk.com/wp-content/blogs.dir/6/files/2009/10/Diego-Forlan.jpg" alt="Diego Forlan" width="500" height="333"></figure></div>it went wide of the post.&nbsp; This ominous occurrence only helped in prolonging the growing despair.&nbsp; With a 0-0 score line at the end of the half, the vociferous whistles rained down on their beloved Atlético, and Mallorca could not have written a better script after the unfortunate ejection of Josemi.
If Atlético Madrid did not want to take advantage of a fortuitous break, Mallorca gave them a second chance when Iván Ramis received a second yellow card for another handball inside the penalty area.&nbsp; The ball seemed to play the arm rather than vice versa, but nevertheless, Ramis was gone, Mallorca had to play the final 40+ minutes with only nine men, and Atlético was twelve yards away from basically sealing the match.&nbsp; Unfazed by his earlier penalty miss, Forlán coolly slotted the ball into the back of the net, and it was not if they would win but by how many.
Strangely, Atlético, whether by the instructions of Santi Denia or by the players’ own apprehensions, protected their 1-0 lead instead of trying to increase it.&nbsp; They dominated the possession, as they should with a two-man advantage, but rarely created significant goal-scoring opportunities that would ruin any chance for Mallorca to get anything out of this match.&nbsp; Forlán hit the target a couple of times, Simão forced Dudu Aouate into some good saves, and Cléber Santana’s header from a set piece traveled inches over the crossbar, but their attacking play, as a whole, appeared stunted compared to normal circumstances.&nbsp; Their careful and cautious attitude would prove costly when Mallorca amazingly equalized in the 91st minute to earn a point that should not have been there to retrieve.
From José Luis Martí’s free kick at midfield, Atlético somehow allowed Borja Valero to control the ball with his foot near the byline.&nbsp; Valero’s ensuing ball was meant to be a cross across the six-yard box to Pierre Webó, but in attempting to smother that cross, David de Gea allowed it to go between his legs.&nbsp; If the ball went straight through his legs, Webó and&nbsp;Atlético defender Álvaro Domínguez each would have had a 50/50 chance at it, but as the ball squeezed through de Gea’s legs, he diverted the ball off its path with his left heel into goal.&nbsp; Would Sergio Asenjo have committed the same error?&nbsp; Call it fate, destiny, the football gods, or any other supernatural event; Atlético Madrid could not win a match that Mallorca tried to give away.
As absurd as this may sound, Mallorca actually deserved to merit a result from this match.&nbsp; The equalizer transpired from a slice of good fortune, but their tireless work ethic and their unending belief gained many admirers, and they dug themselves out of a hole they created instead of slumping their shoulders and admitting defeat before the match was over.
What does this mean for Atlético Madrid going forward?&nbsp; Quique Sánchez Flores has had successful spells with Valencia and Benfica, but he faces the most challenging managing job of his career.&nbsp; Initially competing to retain its Champions League place, Atlético’s goals for the season need to be scaled back slightly.&nbsp; The sale of John Heitinga in the last minutes of the summer transfer window to Everton may not have been a glaring loss at the outset, but Atlético has employed three different right backs this season, including lifelong central defender Tomáš Ujfaluši.&nbsp; None filled the position adequately, and a weak link in a defensive line cannot be masked when a decent attacking team puts pressure on them.
For an attacking force that includes Argentine budding superstar Sergio Agüero, Simão Sabrosa, Maxi Rodríguez, Jurado, and current European Golden Shoe winner Diego Forlán, ten goals in eight matches in La Liga as well as zero goals in three Champions League group stage games fall well below their high expectations.&nbsp; The service from the midfield is of mediocre quality, and the intricate passing game in the final third lacks the fluidity that they showed last season.
While Sánchez Flores and his technical staff can work out these problems on the training ground, instilling the poise and confidence that Atlético used to possess will be their most arduous task as they try to lift los rojiblancos from the dregs of their current form.&nbsp; Without these intangible traits at full tilt, they will continue to surrender meekly against their future opponents.&nbsp; All is doom and gloom at the moment, but fortunately, they will not have too much time to mull over their soul-crushing draw as they have their Round of 32 Copa del Rey cup tie against Segunda División B side UD Marbella on Tuesday.&nbsp; Atlético Madrid will likely use many of their young and bench players against Marbella, but any potential win at this point can be used as a confidence-booster in their long journey from the abyss.
Fueras del Juego
– It is more of relief than congratulations for Villarreal as they recorded their first victory of the season 2-1 over Málaga on Sunday.&nbsp; It was also a first for Villarreal record signing Nilmar as he netted his first La Liga goal for the club.
– El Golazo de la Jornada goes to Pablo Hernández, whose forty-yard effort floated over a humiliated Diego Alves as Valencia beat Almería at the Estadio Mediterráneo 0-3 on Sunday.&nbsp; Alves was clearly out of position, but the foresight and technical skill necessary to execute the shot by Pablo was exquisite.
– Before the Racing de Santander – Osasuna match, there was a minute of silence for the recent death of José Manuel López Alonso, former president of Racing.&nbsp; Near the end of the minute, referee Eduardo Iturralde Gonzalez was about to blow the whistle when he realized the minute was not quite over.&nbsp; Luckily, he did not blow the whistle at that moment, but his facial expressions of surprise and embarrassment were priceless.

Atlético Madrid Hits Rock Bottom

Atlético Madrid Hits Rock Bottom - World Soccer Talk

<div id="attachment_2007" style="width: 330px" class="wp-caption alignleft"><div><figure class="external-image"><img aria-describedby="caption-attachment-2007" loading="lazy" class="size-full wp-image-2007 " src="http://epltalk.com/wp-content/blogs.dir/6/files/2009/09/UEFA-Champions-League1.jpg" alt="Photo courtesy of izalldos" width="320" height="480"></figure></div>Photo courtesy of izalldos</div>
Tuesday and Wednesday brought about Match Day 2 in the UEFA Champions League, and the four representatives from Spain had interesting ties that helped shape their respective groups.&nbsp; On Tuesday, Sevilla FC visited Rangers FC at the Ibrox Stadium, where the European night atmosphere is second to none, buoying their beloved Gers, and FC Barcelona hosted FK Dynamo Kyiv at the Camp Nou, where both teams headed into this clash with undefeated records in both league and in Europe.&nbsp; On Wednesday, Real Madrid faced Olympique de Marseille at the Santiago Bernabéu, where Gabriel Heinze and Fernando Morientes played against their former employers in white, and Atlético Madrid tried to forget their domestic troubles at the Estádio do Dragão against FC Porto.
Rangers knocked Sevilla on their heels in the first half, keeping up with Sevilla’s passing football as well as using their robust style to wear down the opposition.&nbsp; The height of the half culminated in the 36th minute, when Abdoulay Konko tackled Steven Naismith inside the penalty area, and referee Jonas Eriksson continued play.&nbsp; There was little doubt about the legitimacy of Naismith’s claim for a penalty, as Konko made no contact with the ball and clearly took out the ankle of Naismith.
Up to that point, Rangers was even with Sevilla, but a pivotal call, or non-call in this case, changes the momentum of a match, and instead of a likely 1-0 to the home side and an extra boost to an already rapturous Ibrox crowd, Sevilla rode its bit of luck and scored four goals in a span of twenty-four minutes in the second half to secure the three points and seize control of Group G.&nbsp; Rangers would ruin Andrés Palop’s clean sheet in the 88th minute by a Nacho Novo strike, a goal fully deserved for their valiant performance, but Sevilla is the class of this group and should cruise to first place at the end of the group stage.
Even though Barcelona was at home and dominated their five games in La Liga, they were wary of Dynamo Kyiv and their attacking threats of Oleh Husyev, Andriy Shevchenko and Artem Milevskiy.&nbsp; Dynamo remained competitive for the opening fifteen minutes, but eventually the Barcelona Way overshadowed any attempt of Kyiv to produce any significant buildup play.&nbsp; When Dynamo had possession, either Barcelona took it away quickly, or they resorted to long balls.&nbsp; Barcelona forced them out of character, as they do with most teams, and their possession strategy created a plethora of chances, two of which they converted for a simple 2-0 win.&nbsp; The blaugrana will not be amused with their abnormal amount of giveaways or the lack of finishing that could have spelled another two to three goals, but a solid team effort and a comfortable 2-0 win sends Barcelona to the top of the group.
Real Madrid and Manuel Pellegrini tweaked the formation and lineup for Wednesday evening’s fixture with Marseille by forming a three-man front line with the three big signings of the offseason: Karim Benzema, Cristiano Ronaldo, and Kaká.&nbsp; With Guti behind the three as the roaming creative force, there was no room for Raúl in the starting XI.&nbsp; At the moment, Pellegrini’s rotational policy has not created any problems in the dressing room, and if they continue to win, the players will continue to buy into him.&nbsp; It is clear that Pellegrini does not quite have the grasp of how to shape this Madrid team in the best way possible as of yet, and the first forty-five minutes showed a work in progress despite its blistering start domestically.&nbsp; A combination of Marseille’s work rate and discipline and Real Madrid’s tentativeness and lack of understanding within the attacking trio led to a dull first half.&nbsp; In spite of a 57/43 possession ratio in favor of Los Blancos, Marseille was on equal footing, canceled out Madrid for the most part, and generated chances of their own.
Similar to the Sevilla-Rangers match, where Sevilla changed the momentum in a short time gap, Real Madrid tallied three times in a span of six minutes, including a penalty resulting from a second yellow card for Marseille central defender Souleymane Diawara that sealed any chance for Marseille to play their way back into the match.&nbsp; Replays showed that Diawara made contact with the ball first, but the apparent severity of the challenge on Ronaldo forced referee Martin Hansson to flash the yellow card and send Diawara off.&nbsp; With AC Milan suffering a shock 0-1 defeat at the San Siro by the hands of FC Zürich, Real Madrid has complete control of Group C. &nbsp; This season, Madrid has had a tendency to let the opposition hang around and not step on their throats when they have the chance, but as the chemistry continues to develop and the familiarity increases, expect Real to salt these types of games away sooner and with more verve.
Poor Atlético Madrid.&nbsp; They need some alone time to figure out their problems and deficiencies.&nbsp; In the limelight of the Champions League and La Liga, however, all their frailties are shown for everyone to see, and they cannot hide.&nbsp; Their Champions League matchup with FC Porto could not come at a better time.&nbsp; Already struggling in the league, Atlético saw this match as an opportunity to leave their past troubles behind and start anew.&nbsp; Even though Porto was a quality side who advanced to the quarterfinals of the Champions League last season by defeating Atlético on the away goals rule, a positive result could spark a much-needed boost within the team.
An ominous sign came in the 26th minute when an apparent groin injury to backup goalkeeper Roberto forced manager Abel Resino to substitute in eighteen-year-old Atlético Madrid product David de Gea for his first senior appearance.&nbsp; Through the first 70+ minutes, the match was lively yet scrappy with much congestion in the midfield.&nbsp; Porto had the slight edge, but there was hardly anything between them.&nbsp; Then a slice a magic engineered by Porto swung the match in their favor.
In the 75th minute, Falcao scored an incredible goal to take the 1-0 lead.&nbsp; Raul Meireles started the move with a pinged cross-field ball to Hulk in the box.&nbsp; Hulk then blasted his shot at the right near post but de Gea brushed it aside.&nbsp; The rebound came straight back to Hulk, however, but he completely mishit it.&nbsp; He was able to recover, settle the ball, and square a pass to Falcao, who attempted a daring back heel and converted the shot to take a late 1-0 lead.&nbsp; Los Colchoneros did not convalesce and eventually conceded a second goal to suffer another defeat.&nbsp; Now they have to travel to Stamford Bridge to confront an in-form Chelsea team who will look to secure a likely spot into the knockout stages with a win over Atlético on Match Day 3.&nbsp; Abel Resino did get a public vote of confidence from the Atlético brass, but that kind of endorsement usually means very little, and more results like this will lead to his sacking sooner rather than later.

La Liga in the UEFA Champions League: A Recap

La Liga in the UEFA Champions League: A Recap - World Soccer Talk

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Atlético Madrid Hits Rock Bottom

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La Liga in the UEFA Champions League: A Recap