Although Atlético Madrid were pegged back twice in Monday night’s match, there was enough quality to ensure that any significant resistance coming from a beleaguered Real Valladolid club could be ultimately conquered and overcome.
The key takeaways are listed below, with admittedly little reference made to the two-goal assassin and man of the match — Julián Alvarez.
Lenglet, and the pain or pleasure of penalties
For some time now, the footballing community has been unable to unanimously agree on what should be a penalty and what shouldn’t. It has become the irritating, insoluble problem that has stagnated pursuits to perfect the beautiful game. Contentious penalties have become the bane of footballing existence for fans, players and managers alike. Or, perhaps I am just more conscious of their detrimental influence due to being an Atlético fan, and due to what has transpired against our Madrid foes this season (and in the past).
So when Clément Lenglet rose to clear a Valladolid corner in the 18th minute, I was frustrated to see that VAR was set in motion — and referee Isidro Díaz de Mera even admit to Koke that he wasn’t aware of why the intervention was needed — with an eventual adjudication that a penalty must be given since the ball clipped Lenglet’s outstretched elbow, and then the arm of Pablo Barrios. I understand that a handball is a handball, but I also understand the flipside of the argument, that on many an occasion, it’s impossible to avoid it, unless we somehow temporarily sever the arms of players within the box.
At first glance, Lenglet seems to have his hand in an “unnatural” position. But upon repeated viewing, it is clear that his outstretched arm is to hold off a Valladolid player who is encroaching and trying to impose himself on that side of his body. So surely his arm is in a “natural” position, unless we start expecting combative centre halves to just allow themselves to be bullied and brushed aside.
Having said that, my defence of Clément can only go so far, with this being his fourth penalty conceded this season, and two of those four were not contentious at all. Things only got worse for him as he later fouled Valladolid midfielder Chuki just outside the box, which led to Atlético conceding the subsequent free kick via deflection. He was hooked for Robin Le Normand shortly after.
I believe Lenglet is a centre back who is at his worst when defending his own box. Make of that what you will.
At the other end of the pitch, Atlético were awarded two like-for-like penalties, both dispatched confidently by Alvarez. In both instances, the lightening and thunder duo of Giuliano Simeone and Marcos Llorente showed exactly why they could have probably taken on Usain Bolt in a 100m sprint. There were two scenarios in the box whereby heavy touches presented opportunities for Valladolid defenders to make a challenge, but the extremely quick reaction time and freakish acceleration allowed Simeone and Llorente to prod the ball away just before the impending tackle, as a result, their boots were both stamped on in clear sight of the referee.
Not overly contentious, and Valladolid will have little complaint, but it is worth noting that such foot-on-foot stamps are common throughout a typical football game, and players will decide when they want go down and appeal for a foul, or stay on their feet, which sets a dangerous precedent. Simeone and Llorente could have both stayed on their feet during the two moments of contact, as you can see by their delayed reactions to sink to the floor in ‘agony.’ My only concern is that we will likely soon see this kind of decision made against Atlético, so although pleasing today, it could be incredibly frustrating later…
…which has got me thinking: Are we blessed or cursed by penalties this season? Given what has happened today, I am no longer sure. We concede many, we win many, and we have the occasional one ruled out for…nevermind.
Resurgence of form: Griezmann, Simeone, Riquelme…Lemar?
Although he ended up strolling off the pitch in the 59th minute with no goals and no assists, the opening half of Monday’s game was filled with moments of intricate link-up play from Antoine Griezmann. It was more like his customary displays, his creativity well-suited to breaking down a team with a defensive mindset. Time will tell if this improved performance is due to playing the worst team in the league, or if it’s the beginning of an uptick in form.
But improvement was emphatically clear in Giuliano Simeone, who seemed to had lost his spark in games as of late. His penetrating runs and boundless energy had become stifled and somewhat redundant. However today, his incursions into the opposition defence caused plenty of chaos. Moments after the Valladolid opening goal, he received the ball inside the box and drew the foul resulting in the penalty. For Atlético’s second goal, Pablo Barrios picked out his darting run through Valladolid’s left inside channel. He then chopped inside and lashed in a vicious left-footed shot into the near post that rocketed off goalkeeper André Ferreira on the way in.
Rodrigo Riquelme and Thomas Lemar were introduced in the 59th and 73rd minutes respectively, and perhaps to the surprise of a few, their impacts were also rather emphatic. For someone who has played such little football over the past two years, Lemar appeared remarkably sharp, duping two defenders with a deft body feint on what was practically his first touch. He was very unfortunate not to score from a cutback, and his neat dribbling caused all sorts of problems for Valladolid throughout. There was something so satisfying about watching his return to the fold, and I am sure we would all like to see more of him from this point onward. However, it’s hard to commit to such excitement given his battle with injuries — you just never know when he will be sidelined once again.
Riquelme also seems to be emerging into a richer vein of form. He has seen himself get slightly more minutes in recent weeks since Ángel Correa was suspended, and the vibe and aura you receive from him seems different to the earlier parts of the season. He certainly built upon his minutes against Sevilla last week, but Correa returns next weekend and take snatch his super-sub role right back.
Not insanely productive numbers above, but certainly steps in the right direction which should be duly acknowledged. It was his skilful beating of a Valladolid fullback and subsequent cross that led to Atlético’s fourth goal of the night.
Return of ‘The Conduit’
As brilliant as Barrios and Rodrigo De Paul can be with a ball at their feet, they just cannot quite replicate the ease, influence and positional awareness that Koke offers in that central midfield role. Although he began his career as a dynamic winger/inside forward, his performances as a “Regista” just seem totally innate.
Koke knows exactly when to drop deep, and when to vacate a certain space, while also knowing when to push up and press high — when his legs still allow for it. The oscillation effect he causes undoubtedly leads to more fluency and fluidity in all phases of Atlético’s play. With or without the ball, he emanates influence from central areas of the pitch. A true conduit.
Koke’s constant shuttling or backpedalling to offer a passing lane ensures play never stops and stagnates. He was spotted so many times on Monday lodged between Lenglet and Josema Giménez, allowing for swifter distribution from the back, whilst also allowing the whole team to position themselves wider (as there was enough cover centrally for possible counter-attacks).
It’s such a shame that he is advancing in years, and it makes one wonder whether his transition into a central midfielder should/could have come sooner.
