into the calderon 
25-02-2024 20:01
25-02-2024 20:01
Talking points: Almería 2-2 Atlético Madrid
Atlético Madrid were held to another disappointing result on the road as they drew 2-2 with LALIGA’s bottom side, Almería, at the Power Horse Stadium on Saturday night.
Luka Romero scored both goals for the visitors to cancel out the two strikes from Ángel Correa in the first two minutes and then Rodrigo de Paul in the second half, with Atlético twice pegged back by the strugglers.
Here are four talking points from the game.
1. If Atleti can’t win away at Almería, where can they win away?
Before this game, Almería hadn’t scored in five games. Before this game, Almería had only eight points from 25 games. Then Atlético rocked up in town. Surely a team with title aspirations and looking to cement a top four place should dispatch of one of the worst teams in LALIGA history with ease?
Well, no.
This was a bizarre game in that Atlético’s lethargy and laziness allowed Almería to look a much better side. It’s true that they have excelled against better teams such as Real Madrid in recent weeks, but this was a case of Atleti never getting into top gear against a side who clearly had a point to prove and bossed the 90 minutes.
I'm going to go out on a limb and suggest that out of all the teams in the history of the game to be winless after 25 league matches, Almeria are the best ever. — Gabriele Marcotti (@Marcotti) February 24, 2024
Atlético did have chances. Álvaro Morata’s late miss after a defensive mix-up showed how the visitors let this game get away from them. It’s hard to imagine many players allowing such a superb opportunity, through on goal and with only the goalkeeper to beat, to go begging. It was one of 17 shots, with 1.01 xG not converted by Atleti.
“We try to play the same as we do at home, and it’s clear that there are things we need to improve,” Rodrigo de Paul said in his post-match interview, when he was asked about why Atleti are so poor on the road.
This was the ninth time this season, from 13 games, that points have been dropped on the road. While home form alone would have Atlético five points clear at the top, away form has them in 8th.
2. Weakness on the left
Not for the first time, an opponent looked to exploit the gaps in the Atlético defence by targeting the left hand side. On Saturday night, Diego Simeone opted to go with Reinildo Mandava on the left of the back three and Samuel Lino in the wing-back role, with Rodrigo de Paul on the left of the midfield.
That combination is not new and it’s worked well in recent times, but the connection between Lino and Reinildo is not entirely fluid and opponents have found ways to exploit it. That was the case here again, as almost all of Almería’s offensive threat came down that flank. Four of their nine shots came from the left, with five through the middle. Luka Romero was the winger Almería put on this role, and he’s a player who only had three career goals to date, none in LALIGA, before taking to the field against Atlético. He proceeded to score two and look good value for another, with Reinildo losing his man far too often.
The solution could be one who was sat on the bench in Mario Hermoso, but with his contract situation uncertain and Simeone insisting on rotating him and Reinildo, there are decisions to be made to improve the way in which Atleti are defending.
3. But... where did Reinildo Maradona come from?
Despite all the doom and gloom, there was one moment of inspired magic. As already highlighted above, recent weeks have been difficult for Reinildo as he made woeful mistakes against both Athletic Club and Inter Milan which have proved costly for Atlético Madrid in crucial fixtures.
As such, it was even sweeter when he created a goal out of absolutely nothing in only the second minute, taking a quick throw-in, beating two men and then putting the ball on a plate for Correa in the box. It’s the kind of play we’d expect from the likes of Lino, not Reinildo. Reinildo is clearly not in his best form, and it could be harsh to expect better from a player who made his first start in 12 months less than a month ago. His attitude and work rate have not been up for discussion, and it’s satisfying to see a positive moment like this offer him some kind of reward for his hard work.
4. Nahuel Molina’s form
On the opposite flank, there was another cause for concern. Nahuel Molina has not yet hit the heights of his form from last season at any point in the current campaign, but this was arguably his worst performance of the season yet as he once again looked shaky defensively and wasteful offensively.
Molina was most disappointing on the ball, where he should be offering a progressive threat to enable Atlético to get forward down the wing and create dangerous opportunities. Instead, he failed to complete a single one of nine attempted crosses. That reflected the frustrating sight which we saw too many times, of Molina throwing his arms up in the air after putting the ball straight out of play. A player of his quality, as a World Cup winner, should be providing better service to the Atleti forwards.
Molina’s stats are boosted by an assist, which was a pass near the halfway line to de Paul who then did all the hard work, and a high success rate in his duels, which did not quite reflect his habit of going missing when his team most needed him.
Luka Romero scored both goals for the visitors to cancel out the two strikes from Ángel Correa in the first two minutes and then Rodrigo de Paul in the second half, with Atlético twice pegged back by the strugglers.
Here are four talking points from the game.
1. If Atleti can’t win away at Almería, where can they win away?
Before this game, Almería hadn’t scored in five games. Before this game, Almería had only eight points from 25 games. Then Atlético rocked up in town. Surely a team with title aspirations and looking to cement a top four place should dispatch of one of the worst teams in LALIGA history with ease?
Well, no.
This was a bizarre game in that Atlético’s lethargy and laziness allowed Almería to look a much better side. It’s true that they have excelled against better teams such as Real Madrid in recent weeks, but this was a case of Atleti never getting into top gear against a side who clearly had a point to prove and bossed the 90 minutes.
I'm going to go out on a limb and suggest that out of all the teams in the history of the game to be winless after 25 league matches, Almeria are the best ever. — Gabriele Marcotti (@Marcotti) February 24, 2024
Atlético did have chances. Álvaro Morata’s late miss after a defensive mix-up showed how the visitors let this game get away from them. It’s hard to imagine many players allowing such a superb opportunity, through on goal and with only the goalkeeper to beat, to go begging. It was one of 17 shots, with 1.01 xG not converted by Atleti.
“We try to play the same as we do at home, and it’s clear that there are things we need to improve,” Rodrigo de Paul said in his post-match interview, when he was asked about why Atleti are so poor on the road.
This was the ninth time this season, from 13 games, that points have been dropped on the road. While home form alone would have Atlético five points clear at the top, away form has them in 8th.
2. Weakness on the left
Not for the first time, an opponent looked to exploit the gaps in the Atlético defence by targeting the left hand side. On Saturday night, Diego Simeone opted to go with Reinildo Mandava on the left of the back three and Samuel Lino in the wing-back role, with Rodrigo de Paul on the left of the midfield.
That combination is not new and it’s worked well in recent times, but the connection between Lino and Reinildo is not entirely fluid and opponents have found ways to exploit it. That was the case here again, as almost all of Almería’s offensive threat came down that flank. Four of their nine shots came from the left, with five through the middle. Luka Romero was the winger Almería put on this role, and he’s a player who only had three career goals to date, none in LALIGA, before taking to the field against Atlético. He proceeded to score two and look good value for another, with Reinildo losing his man far too often.
The solution could be one who was sat on the bench in Mario Hermoso, but with his contract situation uncertain and Simeone insisting on rotating him and Reinildo, there are decisions to be made to improve the way in which Atleti are defending.
3. But... where did Reinildo Maradona come from?
Despite all the doom and gloom, there was one moment of inspired magic. As already highlighted above, recent weeks have been difficult for Reinildo as he made woeful mistakes against both Athletic Club and Inter Milan which have proved costly for Atlético Madrid in crucial fixtures.
As such, it was even sweeter when he created a goal out of absolutely nothing in only the second minute, taking a quick throw-in, beating two men and then putting the ball on a plate for Correa in the box. It’s the kind of play we’d expect from the likes of Lino, not Reinildo. Reinildo is clearly not in his best form, and it could be harsh to expect better from a player who made his first start in 12 months less than a month ago. His attitude and work rate have not been up for discussion, and it’s satisfying to see a positive moment like this offer him some kind of reward for his hard work.
4. Nahuel Molina’s form
On the opposite flank, there was another cause for concern. Nahuel Molina has not yet hit the heights of his form from last season at any point in the current campaign, but this was arguably his worst performance of the season yet as he once again looked shaky defensively and wasteful offensively.
Molina was most disappointing on the ball, where he should be offering a progressive threat to enable Atlético to get forward down the wing and create dangerous opportunities. Instead, he failed to complete a single one of nine attempted crosses. That reflected the frustrating sight which we saw too many times, of Molina throwing his arms up in the air after putting the ball straight out of play. A player of his quality, as a World Cup winner, should be providing better service to the Atleti forwards.
Molina’s stats are boosted by an assist, which was a pass near the halfway line to de Paul who then did all the hard work, and a high success rate in his duels, which did not quite reflect his habit of going missing when his team most needed him.