Draws against Leverkusen and Espanyol and defeats against Cadiz and Porto: that was the sad course of Atletico in recent weeks. Match after match, confidence among the players dropped to below zero.
It was not the energy of Diego Simeone against Mallorca, however, because he was ranting and gesturing on the sidelines as usual.
His players themselves could have used some of their coach’s venom, as after a deflected shot, Muriqi was quicker than any Atletico pawns to react on 15 minutes.
Despite the presence of Griezmann, Morata and Carrasco, among others, Atletico’s offensive play was to cry. Carrasco was sidelined in the 2nd half and even Witsel started to get involved more and more with the attacks. But all to no avail.
Due to the defeat, Atletico is gradually flirting with the middle bracket. The next competition match will be around New Year’s Eve. Is Simeone still on the couch?
