Atlético Madrid squirmed through a typically-torrid test against Getafe CF at the Coliseum on Sunday night to record back-to-back away wins in LALIGA.
A late Domingos Duarte own goal, after a volleyed pullback
from Giacomo Raspadori, was enough to give Los Rojiblancos a 1-0 win that keeps them steadily ticking over.
Far from convincing, the whole match plan seemed to stall when Marcos Llorente was taken off in the opening stages. However, without Jan Oblak and Giuliano Simeone, while a number of key players were way off their best, Atlético will happily take the three points back to the Metropolitano from this city derby.
Here are Into the Calderón’s player ratings for this one.
Player Ratings
Juan Musso: Playing in his 10th game for Atleti and replacing Oblak, who picked up an injury on international duty. Didn’t have to move from a standing position to make any saves, but was glad to see Mauro Arambarri’s shot hit the top of the bar in the dying minutes. 5
Nahuel Molina: Brought in ahead of Marc Pubill to replace the injured Giuliano for his second start of the season. Comedic at times in unimportant moments, but happy to report a blooper-free 90 minutes from the reigning champion of the world. 5
José María Giménez: Another appearance, another clean sheet. The only name on the team sheet that made up the back line who gave any air of confidence. Without him, this could have been a night to forget. 7
Clément Lenglet: Back in the team for the first time since being sent off away to Celta Vigo on October 5. Shaky at times and gave away a needless freekick in a dangerous area, but overall one of his better performances this season. 6
Matteo Ruggeri: Accumulating minutes with another start for the Italian. His ability to get up and down the pitch is useful, but his final product is lacking when it comes to finding a teammate with a cross. Dávid Hancko replaced him for the final 20 minutes. 5
Marcos Llorente: His rare appearance away from right-back lasted barely 13 minutes after he appeared to take a knock on the back of the ankle. His absence completely shifted Atleti’s approach down the right side. n/a
Koke: Became the ninth player to play 700 official games for a single Spanish club, and just the third to do so outside of the big two. Came off for Raspadori before the hour mark in a tactical shake-up from Diego Simeone. Didn’t put a foot wrong all match. 7
Pablo Barrios: Looked slow on the ball when having to make a decision in the final third; he seems to lack that natural game awareness when up against a low block. Had a slightly acrobatic attempt well-saved from nowhere in the second half. 4
Nico Gonzalez: Unmarked at the back post after six minutes, Nico saw his header saved at point-blank range by David Soria. He came across to right-midfield to cover Llorente’s position. which saw Atleti playing with two inverted wide players for the first time since I can remember. Back over to the left for the second half and made an important block from Arambarri before he was subbed off. A utility player for plugging holes this evening. 5
Álex Baena: This is a public call for anyone able to help with how to get the best football out of this guy within this team. His quality is unquestioned — the pass for Raspadori in the lead up to the goal was exquisite — but I’m not sure he (nor Simeone) knows in which position that quality can shine through consistently. 5
Julián Alvarez: A frustrating game for la araña, who hasn’t found that teammate to link up with when he’s unable to do everything himself. There were murmurings of an injury in midweek that could have kept him out for this one, and he was also on a yellow card when taken off. I wouldn’t look into the change too much. 4
Substitutes
Antoine Griezmann: Was called into action very early following Llorente’s departure in the 13th minute. A little too flicky for my liking; needed to be a little more contundente with his actions in the final third. Could go as far to say it was a poor match from El Principito. 3
Giacomo Raspadori: Had a great left-foot shot excellently saved by Soria in the Getafe goal. Made a fantastic move to the far post to get on the end of Baena’s ball that Duarte ended up bundling into the net. 7
Alexander Sørloth: Strong suggestions the Norwegian striker wants out this summer following his contribution in qualifying his nation for next summer’s FIFA World Cup. Mucked in defensively, but ultimately formed part of the scrappy salvage of three points late on. 4
David Hancko: Brought on for a bit of defensive solidity towards the end which ended up paying off. 6
Conor Gallagher: Asked to come on and play on the right flank (the fourth different player to do so tonight), and had little impact during the course of his time on the pitch. Another player that has no set position in this team, used primarily as a hole filler. 4
