Atletico Madrid Mustn't Panic-Buy in January Transfer Window After Malaga Defeat

Atletico Madrid missed the chance to go top of La Liga on Sunday evening when they lost 1-0 at Malaga thanks to a late Diego Godin own goal in a hard-fought and scrappy fixture.

Even a goalless draw would have sent Atleti top of the pile, with Barcelona not in league action due to their FIFA Club World Cup exploits, but the point was denied them in gut-wrenching style as Godin inadvertently deflected a woefully mis-struck Charles shot inside Jan Oblak's near post.

A poor overall performance by Los Colchoneros was frustrating to witness and disappointing in the outcome, but it shouldn't overshadow what has so far been a good first half of the campaign. It certainly isn't a result that should sway minds towards rushing out and strengthening the side in the January transfer window.

Varying Issues at La Rosaleda

There was very little about Atleti's play that warranted a positive result at La Rosaleda, with the defence looking awkward and unusually insecure early on in the match, the midfield a mixed bag at best and the attack lacking any consistent final-third presence or threat.

Luciano Vietto disappointed as the main striker, Antoine Griezmann didn't see a single reasonable chance on goal fall his way and Fernando Torres twice got himself into good shooting positions but failed to find the back of the net for his 100th strike in an Atleti shirt. But the defeat certainly wasn't all down to the frontmen.

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Gabi had already recklessly made challenges before being shown a silly second yellow card for handball, while Yannick Carrasco and Koke only intermittently managed to get beyond Malaga's own hard-working midfield line.

There wasn't really any genuine or sustained impact off the bench either. The usual aggression and tenacity in Atletico's play was easily matched by Malaga, and Diego Simeone's frequent tactical tweaks failed to pay dividends.

While Oblak in goal was secure and consistent, making a few vital interventions during the game, there was little he could do to prevent Godin's block creeping in at the near post for the late winner.

All in all, it was a game to forget for Simeone and his team.

Realism Strikes

The match might serve as a wake-up call, but that's really nothing to worry about—no team, not Atletico, not Real Madrid, not Barcelona, were ever going to go through the entire rest of the season unbeaten.

Atleti had won nine in a row in all competitions before this game, and that sort of run, while impressive, is unsustainable over a longer period without immense luck and resources. So a defeat simply has to be seen as a reset, a chance to let off steam before going once again with the same conviction and quality.

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While losing to a side level on points with those in the bottom three doesn't sound spectacular on the face of things, Malaga's early-season position has been very much a false one. Their problems have been in attack—this was just the 10th goal scored this season by the club—but they are hard to break down, their defence and goalkeeper have been in good form and their aggression and organisation is there for all to see.

Despite their lowly position, Malaga have only lost twice at home all season, and Atleti didn't exactly roll over themselves. Malaga drew away to Real Madrid and only lost 1-0 at Barcelona thanks to a late Thomas Vermaelen goal; down in the bottom half they might be, but they are far from a pushover.

There are no alarm bells ringing as a result of this loss, only a sense of where improvements need to be focused and continual.

Simeone Wishlist

Of course, that's not to say the manager might not have been wishing for an extra body or two on the sidelines—but perhaps ones he is more familiar with rather than new signings in January.

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Tiago's absence in midfield was noticed this time, with Malaga's pairing of Recio and Ignacio Camacho being hugely combative and quick to make challenges. The pair also had experience and knowhow, while the substitutes available to Simeone were largely exciting young options who lacked the nous of their Portuguese team-mate.

It's notable that Fernando Torres, not Angel Correa or Oliver Torres, was the first substitute to be brought on—and you can bet every penny of Atletico's available transfer fund for January that had Raul Garcia still been at the club, he would have been next in line to feature in this game that demanded Atletico add a little more fire of their own.

New faces—aside from the already en-route Matias Kranevitter—are not a prerequisite to this Atletico team going on to continue their challenge for the title. It is far more important that Simeone gets his players back to believing they have the quality to resume winning ways immediately following this reversal, rather than embark on a similar spell to last time when a winning run was halted: back-to-back losses and a late home draw in the derby.

Since then, it has been all upward motion for the Rojiblancos—and with Rayo Vallecano and Levante the next challenges to overcome, it should be again heading into the new year.

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