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Atletico Madrid and Celta Vigo played out a dour draw at the Wanda Metropolitano as the hosts missed a chance to topple Sevilla at the top of the table.
The home side raced off the blocks and put the visitors under immediate strife. However, Celta, courtesy their confidence on the ball, grew into the match, thereby causing the Los Rojiblancos a few problems in the first half.
Yet, after the restart, the hosts turned the screw immensely and kept knocking at the visitors’ defensive door. Unfortunately for them though, they failed to barge through, despite creating several opportunities.
Thus, through this article, we will look at how the Atletico players fared on the night and chalk out three footballers who impressed and two who would not look back too fondly at the game.
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#5 Koke – Impressive
Atletico and Celta immersed themselves in an extremely scrappy game where clear-cut chances were at a premium. Inevitably, most of the attack-minded players weren’t involved enough to leave a substantial imprint on the game.
However, Koke remained one of the anomalies on the night as he turned in an accomplished display in midfield.
Originally slotting in as a wide midfielder, the Spaniard endured a quiet first half. Yet, after the break, he moved in-field and complemented Hector Herrera and later, Thomas Partey. The above allowed him to dictate the game a lot more and that facet came to the fore as the minutes ticked by.
The Atletico skipper controlled the tempo of the match and made several key interceptions in the centre of the park. A few of those enabled him to mount swift counter-attacks, which led to a handful of openings for the hosts.
Defensively too, he was quite sound and rarely allowed the Celta midfielders to overrun him in the middle third.
In the opening period, most of the visitors’ attacks came through midfield as Rafinha and Denis Suarez linked up efficiently. However, with Koke switching to a more central role, the pair were denied considerable space and time, which eventually led to Suarez being hauled off.
Ever since shining with the Spanish side in junior football, Koke has been touted for greatness. After all, some even dubbed him an irresistible combination of Andres Iniesta and Xavi.
And, though his ascent hasn’t been as smooth as some would’ve envisaged, he certainly remains one of the most reliable midfielders in the La Liga, a notion he only strengthened on Saturday.
#4 Joao Felix – Poor
Through the off-season, there was palpable excitement around the Wanda Metropolitano regarding the acquisition of Joao Felix. The Portuguese had produced some marvellous numbers for Benfica in 2018-19 and seemed the brightest offensive teenage talent across the globe.
The forward started in similar vein too at Atletico, shining in his early displays for the club, thereby hinting at providing an immediate replacement for Antoine Griezmann.
However, over the course of the past fortnight, the Portuguese hasn’t enjoyed the best of fortunes, meaning that some of the furore has died down, just a touch.
After an unconvincing performance against Juventus in mid-week, the teenager produced another unspectacular display at the Wanda Metropolitano on Saturday.
Though he started effervescently against Celta, he fizzled out quite briskly and started drifting out of the game. Thereafter, he was never really able to influence proceedings and was hooked off as Diego Simeone introduced Alvaro Morata.
The link-up between Diego Costa and Felix also looked surprisingly disjointed, considering the telepathic understanding they showcased at the start of the season.
Moreover, the Portuguese, failed to get on the ball in dangerous areas and was reduced to square passes in front of the defence and while there was the odd moment of brilliance, Felix fell quite short of the enormous standards he has already set for himself.
However, encouragingly for Atletico, the teenager is still young and has enough time to mature into a better footballer.
Though they might’ve hoped for him to have hit the ground running, the string of uninspiring displays would only bolster his abilities, further down the line.
#3 Kieran Trippier – Impressive
In the summer, Kieran Trippier shocked the world when he switched North London for Madrid. Up till then, the Englishman had been a vital cog for Mauricio Pochettino’s side and there hadn’t been too many murmurs regarding a move away.
However, the full-back completed a transfer and though there have emerged numerous reports justifying why the Spurs manager let him leave, one feels that Trippier has completed a step up rather than the other way round, despite Tottenham Hostpur having made the Champions League final last season.
Thus, millions of eyes were trained on the defender as he started pre-season preparations with Atletico, more so because not many British players have successfully made the transition to Spanish life.
Yet, if early season form is any indicator, Trippier seems to have taken to the La Liga like a duck to water and looks primed to rediscover his mojo, after a sub-standard 2018-19 term.
On Saturday, the full-back was a constant attacking outlet down the right flank and contributed extensively to the hosts’ offensive movements. Though he played a slightly withdrawn role in the second half, he was still on hand to stretch the Celta defence and provide width, whenever needed.
In addition, his set-piece delivery was pretty exemplary as several of his crosses and free-kicks posed questions for the visitors’ rear-guard. However, the most impressive aspect of his performance was the way he carried out his defensive duties.
After getting marginally outplayed in the first half, he ensured that nothing of that sort materialised in the succeeding 45 minutes. He nullified the threat of Suarez with aplomb and that contributed majorly to Atletico establishing a stranglehold in the second period.
Throughout Trippier’s highest troughs, his ability to defend properly had come under the scanner. To put things into perspective, some even felt that his heroic World Cup campaign could’ve been more fruitful, had he been more steady on the defensive front.
Hence, the transfer to Atletico and the chance to work under Simeone couldn’t have come at a more opportune moment for the Englishman.
The Argentine, despite his shortcomings, is arguably the most organised coach across Europe and if he can drill a defensive edge into Tripper, the defender could just propel himself as one of the premier full-backs on the planet.
#2 Angel Correa – Poor
The Argentine was handed his first start of the season on Saturday and many hoped that he would build on his promising performance against Juventus. However, Angel Correa looked a little devoid of ideas in the final third and it ultimately, contributed to a timid outing.
Though the forward worked his socks off defensively, he wasn’t able to provide the spark Atletico craved in the final third, especially on a day crying out for a moment of magic.
On a few occasions, he found himself in threatening positions. Yet, he wasn’t able to muster the requisite end product, meaning that his endeavours often failed to benefit Atletico.
Additionally, as the game progressed, he started to tire a little, indicating his lack of match fitness due to his previous spell on the sidelines. Consequently, his dribbling and passes lacked the adequate conviction to trouble the visitors.
In the past couple of seasons, Correa has proven his worth for the Los Rojiblancos courtesy some tenacious performances. However, one reckons that one would probably not include the match against Celta Vigo in the aforementioned list.
#1 Renan Lodi – Impressive
Renan Lodi was plucked from the obscurity of Brazilian football in the 2019 off-season and was immediately entrusted with replacing his countryman, Filipe Luis at left-back.
Unsurprisingly, quite a few were left stunned by Simeone’s insistence on acquiring a full-back with no experience in Europe, a question magnified by the consistency Lodi’s predecessor accorded the side.
However, over the course of the opening few weeks, the decision to bring the Brazilian on board, seems an extremely shrewd one, considering the defender’s age and talent.
Against Celta, Lodi conjured arguably his best performance in an Atletico Madrid shirt. The full-back put in a massive shift, stuck to his defensive job and more importantly, provided the hosts with an offensive thrust on the left wing.
On countless occasions, the Brazilian ventured forward and Atletico were intent to switch the play quickly, thus, pointing towards a pre-conceived plan where Simeone’s men looked to utilise his pace optimally.
After foraying forward, Lodi whipped in numerous exquisite crosses and it was a pity that none of the hosts’ forwards got on the end of them. Apart from the crosses, the full-back stung the palms of Ruben Blanco in the first half, where the keeper had to come up with an exceptional save.
In the summer, Atletico underwent a massive overhaul wherein several of their lynchpins departed for newer pastures. Subsequently, the Los Rojiblancos dipped into the market and signed players they felt were most suitable to fill the void.
The nature of those signings though, hinted towards a miniscule change in approach. The arrival of Felix, Lodi and Trippier meant that Atletico were willing to become a shade more expansive as they hoped to challenge on all fronts.
And, with Lodi pulling out such marauding performances at full-back, maybe Simeone might be able to implement that philosophy, much sooner than he would’ve expected.
