Arda Turan Tantrum Underlines Lack of Discipline That Could Cost Atletico Madrid

Barcelona's 3-2 win over Atletico Madrid at the Vicente Calderon was one of the most entertaining matches of the season.

The encounter saw the continued resurrection of Fernando Torres, a brace from Neymar, a Raul Garcia penalty, an own goal by Miranda and Gabi sent off in the half-time interval.

But the strangest of all the incidents was Atletico winger Arda Turan throwing his boot at the linesman.

The Turkish international was clearly frustrated by the way the match had drifted away from his side, although his reaction was completely uncalled for.

It was out of character for Turan, but that doesn't excuse his actions and he was certainly lucky just to receive a yellow card.

Diego Simeone's men illustrate a fighting spirit that's reminiscent of their manager as a player and it was one of the key attributes that led them to last season's league title.

However, that competitive manner can overspill at times and could cost the team in the biggest matches.

When asked if he regretted the behaviour of any of his players on the pitch, Simeone replied: "I feel proud of my players," to the after-match press conference, via AS.

It's hardly surprising that he adopted this stance publicly, his approach of breaking up the play against Barcelona with little fouls has worked previously, although this had a dissimilar feeling.

"There was a moment when things got ugly and I felt it was right to take Neymar off so things didn’t get out of control," said Barcelona coach Luis Enrique, per AS.

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Professionals need to be intelligent and realize that we’re all colleagues. It was time to be attentive to the situation as it looked like something unpleasant was unfolding.

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Atletico captain Gabi seemed to think that the Brazilian was deserving of the attention, due to the way he acts.

"He has a peculiar way of playing, especially when he's winning," the midfielder explained to Canal+, per Marca.

"He makes gestures out on the pitch, especially when he's winning. Nobody likes to lose and his behaviour can be annoying."

It's up to Gabi and his teammates not to get distracted by the antics of Neymar, after all they weren't exactly critical of former teammate Diego Costa when he was winding up rivals for fun last season.

Enrique was right, the referee had begun to lose control of the game and a number of the Atletico players lacked composure.

This was evident at the half-time whistle, as the players needlessly clashed on their way off the pitch and Gabi was sent off in the tunnel.

"I told him: 'Jesus, it was a penalty and a sending off'. According to him that was me being disrespectful," added Gabi.

"I believe that a referee should show more character and be more respectful towards players."

In a tactical sense, Simeone's team are normally well disciplined, as they make it extremely difficult for their opponents.

With Diego Godin missing through suspension the team didn't have their usual structure in defence and that enabled Barcelona to counter-attack with relative ease in the first half.

Perhaps this uncertainty in the back four transferred throughout the rest of the team and the Uruguayan's organisational skills are a calming influence for others.

Simeone himself was given an eight-game ban earlier in the campaign for placing his hands upon a fourth official, via the Daily Mail, so he can hardly preach to his squad about their conduct.

However, he can still advise his team that they are unlikely to win the top games if they continue to pick up needless red cards.

It's a case of do as I say and not as I do for the Argentinean.