It was another completely normal clash between Getafe and Atlético de Madrid on Saturday, which featured:
- the Peaky Blinders providing an escort to the players “for their security”
- a red card to a Getafe player for grabbing Sørloth beneath the waist
- nine minutes of stoppage time in the second half
- a Nahuel Molina goal of the season contender that ultimately decided the match
All completely regular, run-of-the-mill occurrences.
It was a very disjointed first half for both Atlético and Getafe. Atlético played like a team who rotated in 10 new starters following the mid-week match against Spurs and Getafe played like Getafe normally do, as annoying as possible. It appeared that it was going to be a 90-minute defensive slugfest
between two of football’s foremost defensive masterminds, but just 7:11 minutes into the match, Molina delivered a contender for the Puskás award. Seriously.
Just 10 minutes into the second half, play stopped for a brief period to look at what most thought was a potential red card on Molina, and then a potential red card on Sørloth. However, when referee Miguel Ángel Ortiz returned from the VAR screen with a red card, it was pointed at neither aforementioned Atleti player. It was pointed at Getafe’s Abdel Abqar for grabbing Sørloth where the sun doesn’t shine.
The red card appeared to be exactly what Getafe needed, as they seemed to play better with 10 men as opposed to 11. All seven of Getafe’s shots came in the second half, and Juan Musso heroically saved their best chance.
As the dust settles and the Peaky Blinders return to Birmingham, it was job well done for Atlético, as Los Colchoneros earned a very valuable three points while resting key players ahead of a critical match on Wednesday against Tottenham Hotspur. The win sees Atlético go to third by themselves on 57 points.
Here are Into the Calderon’s takeaways.
Magnificent Musso
When it was announced late Friday that Jan Oblak would miss the match with a muscle strain, it would normally cause panic among Atlético supporters. However, with the emergence of a certain Argentine backup goalkeeper, it appears Atleti will remain in very capable hands.
If you have been following Atlético’s Copa del Rey campaign this season, you are already familiar with Musso’s quality. On Saturday he delivered his fourth clean sheet in as many appearances in LALIGA since he joined Atleti from Atalanta last year. Musso came up big with a massive save on Luis Milla in the 81st minute and followed that with the match-winning stop on Adrián Liso in stoppage time.
There has been speculation during the last few transfer windows about whether Jan Oblak’s time as a Rojiblanco could be nearing its end. There have been difficult stretches over the past few seasons, but Oblak remains one of the top five goalkeepers in the world. Personally, I believe that if he ever leaves, it will be entirely his decision. Ideally he retires at the club or Atlético is his final European stop. If that day eventually comes, supporters can take comfort in knowing that Musso has the ability to continue Simeone’s tradition of having a top-level goalkeeper behind his defense.
Having a backup goalkeeper with Musso’s quality is one of the greatest luxuries a club can have. Hopefully Oblak’s muscle strain is minor and he will be back to full fitness by Wednesday. But if not, supporters should still feel confident that Musso can step in without the team missing a beat.
Atleti’s second team
As Simeone navigates the remainder of the season, Atlético’s comfortable position inside the top four of LALIGA may end up being a blessing in disguise. Of the starting 11 Simeone deployed against Spurs on Tuesday, only Marc Pubill returned to the starting lineup against Getafe. Dávid Hancko, Matteo Ruggeri and Johnny Cardoso did not feature at all, meaning they will be fully rested and available for the return leg on Wednesday. Meanwhile, Marcos Llorente, Julián Alvarez, Antoine Griezmann, Ademola Lookman and Giuliano Simeone each logged roughly 30 minutes, the perfect tune-up to maintain their rhythm while still conserving energy for the decisive match ahead.
Being able to rest key players ahead of decisive matches across multiple competitions is incredibly important, especially with the pressure on Simeone to deliver a trophy and make a deep run in the Champions League. In many ways, Simeone has almost developed a “second team” that he can deploy in remaining LALIGA fixtures to ensure the “first team” is fully prepared for the crucial Champions League matches and the Copa del Rey final ahead.
The growing reliability of that second unit has been reinforced amid strong individual performances in recent weeks. Nico Gonzalez delivered an excellent showing against Real Sociedad, academy product Julio Díaz impressed against Oviedo, and on Saturday it was Obed Vargas who stepped up. Performances like these not only help Atlético manage fatigue across a demanding schedule: they also give Simeone greater confidence in rotating his squad when the stakes are highest.
There were plenty of skeptics when Atlético signed Vargas from Seattle Sounders at the close of the winter transfer window, but the Mexico international delivered when Simeone needed him most. At this stage of his career, Vargas should not be relied upon as a consistent first-team starter; but if he can string together a few more performances like this one, he can certainly grow into that role.
While strong performances from newcomers and academy products are always encouraging, it also speaks volumes when your captains continue to deliver at a high level. Atlético received exactly that from Koke and José María Giménez. Josema has seen his minutes reduced due to the dual emergence of Pubill and Hancko, but that has not stopped the Uruguayan from defending with his heart on the line even as exit rumors fly. Koke, meanwhile, again showed why he is the conductor of Atlético’s orchestra; he led all players in touches, successful passes, chances created and ball recoveries.
Another lead to preserve
As Atlético close the page on another LALIGA matchday, they find themselves in a familiar position: defending a sizable lead in the second leg of a tie away from home. The topic of la remontada dominated Spanish media coverage ahead of the Copa del Rey second leg, but that conversation has been far less prevalent heading into the return leg against Tottenham.
The performance that Simeone’s side delivered at Camp Nou earlier this month should leave Atlético supporters at least a little uneasy, especially considering the club will be defending a smaller advantage than the one they held against Barcelona. Atlético will also once again be without Pablo Barrios. His presence would have been valuable in securing the midfield battle against Spurs, though a trio of Llorente, Koke and Cardoso should still be enough.
The main difference between this tie and the Barcelona second leg is fairly obvious: Spurs are not exactly FC Barcelona. Tottenham face a very difficult match against Liverpool at Anfield on Sunday as they continue to battle a very real relegation threat. Like Barcelona earlier in the season, they are also dealing with a significant list of injuries. James Maddison, Rodrigo Bentancur, Ben Davies, Lucas Bergvall, Wilson Odobert and rumored Rojiblanco transfer target Mohammed Kudus all remain sidelined. Those absences are compounded by Richarlison’s suspension and Cristian Romero’s concussion.
However, there is plenty for Atlético supporters to feel optimistic about. Simeone appears to have his squad in a good run of form and confidence appears high. In LALIGA, Atlético have collected 12 points from their last four matches. The team is also looking ahead to a cup final and carries a three-goal advantage to London with a place in the Champions League quarterfinals on the line. Simeone will need to harness that positivity while also reinforcing the underdog mentality that has defined so many of Atlético’s biggest moments over the years. As he prepares his squad for the decisive matches ahead, supporters should do the same because the season has entered its most critical stretch.
