Atletico Frailties Exposed by Benfica Ahead of Madrid Derby
VICENTE CALDERON, Madrid — Frailty is not a word you associate with Atletico Madrid. Quite the opposite.
Under Diego Simeone they have become a powerhouse of a team, slugging their way through games and often winning by virtue of being fitter, stronger, more organised and more determined.
The records they took into their clash with Benfica on Wednesday night were proof of that.
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Unbeaten at home in the Champions League for six years—since Porto managed it in 2009—and on the verge of setting a new record for consecutive clean sheets in the competition at home.
Chelsea, Real Madrid and Barcelona had all visited the Calderon since AC Milan's Kaka scored there in March 2014 and none of them had found the net.
Keeping a clean sheet against Benfica would have been the eighth-successive game at home they had shut out their opponents.
Unfortunately for the Rojiblancos, any hopes of that evaporated in the 36th minute when the Portuguese team struck their equaliser en route to a 2-1 away win.
It could have been sooner.
Goncalo Guedes beat Jan Oblak to a ball on the edge of the box but his shot was blocked before it crossed the line, by Filipe Luis who had raced back.
It was virtually the Brazilian's only positive contribution in the game, and he looks a shadow of the star he was before he left for Chelsea last season.
Although Luis played well in Atletico's win over Las Palmas on the Liga opening day, he has since failed to find his footing.
He was partly at fault for the second Benfica goal, kicking at thin air as Nicolas Gaitan's superb ball evaded him and found Guedes at the back post.
Oblak was also partly culpable, as the goalkeeper perhaps came too far over to the left of his goal allowing the midfielder to squeeze his shot in at the far post.
It was a breakaway goal, the type which Atletico have become known for scoring themselves.
And other aspects of their own strategy were used against them by Rui Vitoria's Benfica here.
It was the Portuguese side who were playing cynically and cunningly, while Atletico actually put together some lovely moves in the first half.
With the money Simeone has spent, and the attacking players he has bought, he is expected to improve the club's style of play.
However, the success he has had at the club was not built on flair players like Angel Correa or Luciano Vietto.
That's not to say they don't have value. The former was impressive against Benfica, scoring his side's only goal and buzzing around, creating chances and action.
But perhaps Atletico were playing too well for their own good.
Simeone picked a surprisingly attacking team, with Jackson Martinez flanked by Antoine Griezmann and Correa, with Oliver Torres in support from midfield.
Colombian striker Jackson is still struggling and despite Simeone's kind words before the game, looks like he is suffering as a result of the €35 million price tag on his back.
It would be no surprise if the coach opts to bring Fernando Torres back into the side ahead of him for the Madrid derby on Sunday.
Atletico welcome Real Madrid to the Vicente Calderon on the back of two defeats, by Villarreal and now Benfica. A third would damage morale, as well as the club's title bid.
They have already lost at home to Barcelona, and doing so against Madrid would leave them a real uphill struggle.
Gabi and Tiago had reasonable games against Benfica, but the pair are now fairly old at 32 and 34 respectively, and Saul Niguez might offer a bit more zip in the engine room.
The central-defensive partnership of Diego Godin and his Uruguayan compatriot, Jose Gimenez, is a good one, but they need to be helped by the players around them, as the centre-backs were in 2013-14, when Atletico won the league.
The heart and belief is still there, but Simeone and Atletico need to be careful not to drift too far from the tactics that made them who they are today.
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