It was another league game where Diego Simeone rotated almost his entire Atlético Madrid squad ahead of another massive cup match in a week’s time. Julián Alvarez, Ademola Lookman, Marcos Llorente, Matteo Ruggeri, Alexander Sørloth and captain Koke all received well-earned rest ahead of next Wednesday’s all-important Champions League semifinal first leg against Arsenal.
For Atleti, the result in Wednesday’s match — a 3-2 defeat at relegation-imperiled Elche is more than fair. But there are positives coming out of Elx. Pablo Barrios made his first appearance since March 10, and Nico Gonzalez scored a brace. Additionally, Obed Vargas and the academy products Julio Díaz and Javier Boñar all put in impressive outings.
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But the fact is, Atlético have lost four in a row in LALIGA, and this is the Colchoneros’ seventh loss in their last eight matches across all competitions. Other reserves, like Thiago Almada and Álex Baena, played poorly; after half an hour, Almada was sent off for fouling Elche’s David Affengruber in the box after he lost the ball, which also gave the home team a penalty that André Silva duly dispatched.
In the second half, Atleti were not able to do much, and poor defending plagued Simeone’s men again. Silva was denied once but Jan Oblak would not keep him from netting the winner in the 75th minute as Atleti mustered only one shot on target after halftime.
Here are Into the Calderón’s takeaways for this evening’s loss against Elche.
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Nico Gonzalez legacy game
For the second time this season, Nico Gonzalez has scored a brace in a match. What do those two matches have in common? He played on the right flank, rather than on the left, where he has been slotted for most of the season.
On his 10th-minute opener, Nico started the attack, driving the ball forward from his own half before playing a one-two Rodri Mendoza, who delivered a marvelous back-heeled pass to assist. Then, down to ten men and down a goal on the scoreboard, Nico embarked on a powerful run down the right and scored a fantastic solo goal.
Giuliano Simeone is in a bit of a form slump, and maybe a bit of competition would be good for El Cholo’s son. And seeing how much more comfortable he appears as a left-footed right winger, maybe it makes more sense to keep Nico next season at a reduced price. If Mateu Alemany can negotiate down with Juventus into the €15 million range, I think that is something the club should consider.
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Are Almada and Baena running out of chances?
Perhaps if Almada does not pick up a red card leading directly to Elche’s second, this match ends differently. But this match aside, the Argentine just doesn’t look comfortable with the speed and tactical rigor of European football, and these factors are not helping him play his best.
Almada has shown he has the ability, but he’s lacking confidence. The former Atlanta United star is too mistake-prone for Cholo Simeone to count on him consistently, and Wednesday was another unfortunate example.
As for Baena, the noise is starting to get quite loud around the Spain international as he now has gone two months without a goal contribution.
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When Atlético purchased Baena for €42 million from Villarreal, high expectations and the #10 shirt accompanied the talented playmaker, who had created chances for fun in the previous three seasons playing his football at La Cerámica. Baena has not recorded a goal contribution in any of his past 12 appearances, and he last scored a goal in December.
Another potential problem with Baena can be seen in his body language. You can tell the player is visibly frustrated by his lack of success. Shortly after he was subbed on against Barcelona in the Camp Nou earlier this month, Baena picked up a yellow card and came dangerously close to picking up a second. Today, the Spaniard almost let his frustration get the best of him following a flying challenge on Buba Sangaré.
Maybe a revised role following Griezmann’s departure will be good for Baena. But patience already is starting to run thin within the fanbase, and Baena will need to turn it around quickly if he’d like to remain in the Spanish capital.
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Who starts in goal vs. Arsenal?
Wednesday was not a great outing for Jan Oblak, the longtime star goalkeeper making his return after nearly six weeks out. However, Saturday’s Copa del Rey final was not a great outing for cup hero Juan Musso, either.
The debate has gone back and forth. After Saturday, many believed the debate was over, and Oblak would return following two mistakes from Musso in the Copa del Rey final, which ended with the Argentine failing to stop four of five penalties.
But now, the pendulum appears to have swung back in the other direction after Oblak looked very shaky and shipped three goals to a side that began the day in 18th. This gives Musso at least a slight chance at making a return in the Champions League semifinals.
The concerning part if you’re an Atlético supporter is for so long you have been able to depend on a keeper in big moments. And the question, up until recently, has been “who can best deliver that between Musso and Oblak?”
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But it feels now more like a question of “who can make the fewest mistakes to carry Atleti across the finish line?”
Perhaps it’s an overreaction and it is just a bit of rust for Oblak, who should get one more shot at a “tryout” to keep his place in Saturday’s match against Athletic Club. And perhaps it’s an overreaction from the Copa del Rey final to assume Musso is no longer fit for purpose after a heroic month-plus between the sticks. That’s exactly what losses are for: overreactions! Feel free to give yours in the comments below.
