Atletico Madrid Midfielders Missed Opportunity V Rayo, Must Show More in Attack

Atletico Madrid left it late but briefly went back to the top of La Liga's table on Wednesday with a 2-0 win at Vallecas over Rayo Vallecano.

After a frustrating first 85 minutes or so for Atleti, with the game looking as though it would continue toward a point apiece that would've helped neither club a great deal, Angel Correa and Antoine Griezmann struck within two minutes of each other just before full-time to help Diego Simeone's team finish the year on winning terms.

It's not the first time in recent games that Atletico have snatched the points late on and points to good resilience and self-belief in the side, but this was another opponent they should have swept aside with far more ease. That they didn't was due in part to sloppy and uninspiring performances in the final third, particularly from the midfield.

Unusual Absences

It must have been quite some time since neither Gabi nor Tiago lined up in the centre of the park in a meaningful game for Atletico, but with the former suspended and the latter injured, there were opportunities to be had for others this time.

With game time in recent weeks, it could have been Thomas who came into the middle, but in the end Cholo went with Oliver Torres as an additional creative option from the flanks and pushed Koke central alongside Saul.

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It's perhaps also noteworthy that with left-back Filipe Luis unavailable, Jesus Gamez played and not Guilherme Siqueira—the former Benfica man will surely be off sooner or later.

As for the centre of the park, while the quartet of Oliver, Saul, Koke and Yannick Carrasco worked as diligently as ever off the ball, there was far too much sloppiness and casual play in possession, and it meant a huge volume of wasted chances to attack.

Final-3rd Impact

As Simeone looks to evolve the side, it will take a great deal for the young talents to displace his trusted and ageing lieutenants, not just hard-working performances but also consistency in showing quality and helping to win games with more fluidity and ease than the established stars show.

A big part of that has to be in showing the individualism and technique required to open up defences when moving forward in possession; Rayo, as a prime example, conceded 10 last time out and have the worst defensive record in La Liga, but Atletico's passing throughout the night was a big disappointment. There were neat passages of build-up play that ended with a badly timed final pass or a moment of miscontrol, but there were also far too many stray balls from centre to wide in the build itself.

An off-night, or something more ingrained?

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Without the metronomic switches of play Tiago brings, someone else has to have the assurance and aura to take control in Atletico's midfield. It would have been hoped Koke would be that player, but he has been below his best at times and has barely played centrally this term.

Oliver barely had an impact on the game. Carrasco had some good early moments but again faded—there must be better support in the final third for the strikers, who themselves haven't exactly been firing on all cylinders.

Saul can probably be exempt from the concerns as he has performed the dual role of protecting the defence and still trying to get on the scoresheet, but a few others simply have to provide more.

January

Opportunity missed, then, for one or two. With Matias Kranevitter set to join and already in training and Augusto Fernandez having a medical and on the verge of a move, per Marca, competition will be fierce again among the ball-winners and distributors from deep.

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Koke will shift back out to one of the flanks unless Simeone makes a three-man midfield his primary system to incorporate more of the central options in the side.

Atleti remain in the mix at the top, and there's nothing to suggest they'll fall away except they are not as powerful and unstoppable in the final third as they should be. Add more guile and presence inside the penalty area—and they should already have the individuals in place to do that—and there's little to stop Los Rojiblancos in the second half of the season.

For one or two, though, Rayo was a final opportunity to show they should play a leading role in that charge toward success in 2016, and they perhaps didn't take it as well as they might have done.

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