Valencia vs. Atletico Madrid: Winners and Losers from La Liga Game
Atletico Madrid suffered their first league defeat of the season Saturday, going down 3-1 to a surging Valencia outfit on a sunny afternoon at the Mestalla.
Perhaps still feeling the effects of a hard-fought victory over Juventus in the Champions League on Wednesday, Diego Simeone's men were blown away in the opening fifteen minutes, caught cold by a rampant home side who stormed to a three-goal lead before Atletico found a grip in the game.
After Miranda's terrible own goal had gifted Los Che the lead, Andre Gomes doubled the advantage just a minute later with a fine effort before Nicolas Otamendi made it three when he headed home Pablo Piatti's corner.
The visitors clawed one back when Mario Mandzukic capitalised on a loose ball resulting from Diego Alves' save from Tiago's long-range shot, but were denied a second when Alves saved Guilherme Siqueira's penalty just prior to half-time.
The second half saw Atletico apply considerable pressure to the hosts, but Nuno Espirito Santo's men held firm to secure a valuable 3-1 victory.
Across the following slides, we examine the winners and losers from Saturday's clash.
Winner: Nicolas Otamendi
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Nicolas Otamendi has been brilliant in Valencia's new-look side in 2014-15 since coming across from Porto, establishing himself at the core of Nuno Espirito Santo's impressive defence.
Against Atletico Madrid on Saturday, the Argentine was irresistible, putting together a commanding 90-minute display that powered Los Che to a stunning victory.
At the back, the central defender made 11 clearances and won six aerial duels, per WhoScored.com, attacking every contest with an unshakable ferocity that was made most evident when he hammered into Miranda to complete a soaring header in the middle of the pitch in the second half.
That relentless attack on the ball was also seen when he headed home Valencia's third goal from Pablo Piatti's corner, charging through the visitors' defence to cap off an emphatic opening to the game for the hosts.
Loser: Miranda
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After a sensational campaign in 2013-14, it's been a little hit-and-miss for Miranda so far this season. While there have been some characteristically brilliant performances, the gap between his good and bad days has been considerably wider this term than last.
On Saturday against Valencia that theme continued, with the 30-year-old enduring a ghastly opening to the match that allowed the hosts to storm to a decisive early lead.
In just the sixth minute, Miranda had an awful mixup with Miguel Angel Moya, cutting across the goalkeeper to head a ball that Moya would have easily collected, watching it find the back of the net to gift Valencia their first.
And less than a minute later, Andre Gomes ran rings around the defender as he charged into the Atletico Madrid box to secure Los Che's second.
Winner: Andre Gomes
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Another of Valencia's new faces this season, Andre Gomes has been one of Nuno Espirito Santo's brightest performers so far and enjoyed another successful outing against Atletico Madrid on Saturday.
Lining up in a midfield three alongside Javi Fuego and Daniel Parejo, the Portuguese had less possession than his central counterparts but was often the one causing headaches for Diego Simeone's defence.
The most advanced of the trio, Gomes linked up beautifully with Paco Alcacer and Pablo Piatti, sharing a lovely interchange with the Spaniard before powering past Miranda to thump a strike past Miguel Angel Moya for Valencia's second.
As Atletico gradually established more control after going 3-0 down, Gomes' opportunities to attack became more limited, but the standing ovation he received when substituted late on was a reflection of his early impact.
Loser: Miguel Angel Moya
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While the stat sheet for game won't necessarily reflect it, Miguel Angel Moya endured a rough afternoon at the Mestalla on Saturday.
Miranda will inevitably cop the heat for the disastrous own goal that kick-started the hosts' rampant opening, but it's difficult not to feel that the goalkeeper played a significant part in the error too, given that there appeared to be little in the way of communication between the pair as they went for Shkodran Mustafi's chipped cross.
Just a minute later, Valencia's second goal through Andre Gomes saw Moya beaten too easily at his near post from an acute angle, while Nicolas Otamendi's header for Los Che's third was struck barely two yards from the Atletico No. 1, who remained rooted to his initial position and failed to impact the contest at all.
Winner: Diego Alves
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While Guilherme Siqueira's penalty kick just prior to half-time wasn't struck well, Diego Alves' save to deny the visitors a second goal was critical in quelling the momentum Los Colchoneros had built in the closing stages of the half.
Had Diego Simeone's men entered the break down 3-2 instead of 3-1, the second period would have been a tense affair for Valencia, who would have feared the worst after grabbing such an emphatic early lead.
But thanks to their Brazilian shot-stopper, Los Che came back from the interval with a handsome advantage and were able to see the game out against an Atletico outfit that looked a little deflated after the miss.
And according to Madrid-based journalist Sid Lowe on Twitter, only 52 percent of penalties taken against Alves have found the back of the net—a mightily impressive statistic.
Loser: Guilherme Siqueira
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Diego Simeone opted to change the composition of his back four on Saturday, replacing Cristian Ansaldi with Guilherme Siqueira at left-back against Valencia.
But while the Argentine has proved to be a reliable replacement for the departed Filipe Luis, the Brazilian is yet to impress for Atletico and struggled again at the Mestalla.
Of course, Siqueira's failure to convert the first-half penalty will be the major knock on his performance, but the defender was also guilty of giving the ball away on a number of occasions and had his aggressive positioning exposed as Valencia broke quickly into Atletico's half in the 15-minute barrage to open the game.
Winner: Nuno Espirito Santo
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When Nuno Espirito Santo was appointed to replace Juan Antonio Pizzi, it felt as though Valencia were set to endure the difficulties of yet another management handover.
Instead, the Portuguese has quickly become an adored figure at the Mestalla, instilling an exciting brand of football into his team while also developing a connection with the fans similar to the way Diego Simeone has done at Atletico Madrid.
And on Saturday, it was Nuno who won the tactical battle, steering his side to their fifth win in seven league matches this season.
Most notable was the clear emphasis on pace for Valencia, with the home side racing the ball through midfield as swiftly as possible in the opening exchanges to get behind Atletico's second bank of four.
Clearly instructed to avoid physical battles with Miranda and Diego Godin, Paco Alcacer was a source of constant movement, dragging the centre-back pairing away from their preferred position and presenting a target for fast and direct balls through the middle that broke down the typically robust visitors.
And while his team conceded dominance after the opening exchanges, Nuno's high-octane game plan was key to Valencia's rampant start.
Loser: Diego Simeone
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Diego Simeone's management has been masterful at Atletico Madrid, but for the first time in a long time, it felt as though the Argentine got it wrong against Valencia on Saturday.
Clearly keen to rotate his squad somewhat after the Champions League clash with Juventus on Wednesday, Simeone opted to change both his full-backs, replacing Cristian Ansaldi and Juanfran with Jesus Gamez and Guilherme Siqueira.
But the timing of such moves seemed off, given that Atletico were travelling to the Mestalla to take on one of Spain's hottest teams.
Of course, it's easy in hindsight, but Simeone could have opted for his first-choice back four on Saturday before allowing members of that group to rest in the more straightforward games to come against Espanyol, Malmo, Getafe and Cordoba.
Instead, the manager went with a back four yet to play together against a strong opponent and saw his defence breached too easily as a result.
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