It took much longer than expected, but Atlético Madrid celebrated an important 2-0 victory over Villarreal on Saturday night, the Rojiblancos securing their first win of 2025/26 — and looking quite good in the process.
Atlético held a direct top-four rival to just 39 percent possession and one shot on target (though dual misses by Alberto Moleiro in the first half spared the defense’s blushes). Atleti felt the absence of injured playmakers Thiago Almada and Álex Baena, but the Rojiblancos polished
off two of their three big chances to win; they will now be hoping for good news on other injured players, including star forward Julián Alvarez, ahead of a visit to Anfield next week.
The stellar Barrios – Koke partnership
After spending much of last season holding the midfield together as a #5, Barrios has been “freed” to play as an advanced #8 on the right flank — just in time to make his case as to why he should go to the World Cup with Spain next summer.
Without having to worry about organizing the entire team, Barrios can get closer to the penalty area and interpret when to attack spaces in the final third. His synergy with his full-back (Marcos Llorente) and his winger (Giuliano Simeone) created numerical advantages that overwhelmed the Villarreal midfield.
Though Barrios took nearly 75 percent of his 84 touches in the visitors’ half, his most decisive action was his sole touch in the Villarreal penalty area: a left-footed strike into Luiz Junior’s bottom right corner for the game’s opening goal
“And the kids from Atleti will now say: Dad, Mom, I want to be like Pablo Barrios,” trumpeted Marca’s X account.
After looking off the pace in his first two games (he didn’t play in the draw against Elche), Koke made his first start of the new season and promptly bent the flow of the game to his will. With Barrios, he moved high up the pitch to mark Villarreal’s forwards Georges Mikautadze and Nicolas Pépé. This forced Marcelino’s men to funnel the ball wide — where Sergi Cardona’s misplaced back pass produced the opening goal.
In possession, Koke completed 79 of his 80 passes. He won three fouls. He slowed down the game, he sped it up. He was the organizational hub directing a fluid attacking system that even looked like a 4-1-5 at times. I hope Johnny Cardoso was watching closely; this is what is expected of a pivot at Atlético de Madrid.
Nico Gonzalez will have a lot of minutes
It will not take long for Nicolás Iván Gonzalez to become an important player for Diego Simeone. If this was a taste of what to expect, I am excited about what Atlético’s newest Argentina international can achieve following his deadline day move from Juventus.
It was a strange sequence that produced Nico’s goal seven minutes after halftime. Marcos Llorente — who has easily his best game of the season so far — faced no opposition as he carried the ball deeper into the Villarreal half. Alexander Sørloth and Santiago Mouriño collided near the area; play continued as Llorente rinsed Renato Veiga in a 1v1. Nico, arriving late into the box, flew over the 6’1” Mouriño and took advantage of Luiz Junior’s indecision to thump home a headed goal — his specialty, as we discussed recently on That Atleti Podcast.
Nico’s off-ball work and combativeness out of possession (five ground duels won) were just as important. He was one of the “worker bees” behind Alvarez, who didn’t have to drop nearly as deep to get his touches with Nico, Barrios, and Antoine Griezmann progressing play and interpreting the game so well.
Nico’s €32 million buy option clause becomes obligatory if he plays 45 minutes or more in at least 21 league games for Atlético. Based on this display — with only a handful of training sessions, and playing on his weaker left side — Nico’s chances of completing a permanent move to Madrid from Turin have shot through the roof.
Who’s going to be fit for Anfield?
This game’s proximity to the FIFA break was always going to cause problems for Cholo Simeone. Almada suffered a right leg injury during it; Baena remains unavailable due to an appendicitis bout that required emergency surgery.
Over the international break, Alvarez played 100 minutes for Argentina, long qualified for the next World Cup; he made it only 45 minutes on Saturday before Simeone removed him as a “precaution”; La Araña was later seen with tape on his right leg. Dávid Hancko played 180 minutes for Slovakia, and he was subbed on with 15 minutes to go on Saturday; a crunching challenge from Mouriño ended his night after mere minutes. Nico and Robin Le Normand were substituted before full-time, both internationals clearly exhausted.
Fortunately, Nico and Le Normand are expected to play Wednesday, when Atlético visit English champions Liverpool to begin the Champions League campaign. Alvarez and Hancko though are considered doubtful, though scans on Sunday ruled out a serious lower leg injury to the latter.
Thus, Simeone faces the possibility of traveling to Merseyside without five players — Almada, Alvarez, Baena, Hancko, and the forgotten Josema Giménez — all of whom are starters in the gala XI. Yikes.
