Atlético is a desert without an oasis

The Atlético de Madrid said goodbye to the possibility of winning the first title of 2022 with a gruesome performance in Riyadh in the semifinal of the Spanish Super Cup against Athletic, who was superior and who will play the final on Sunday against Real Madrid. The mattress group did not appear in an appointment that had aroused illusion, highlighting in Arabia the problems that it has been dragging for months in Spain and Europe.

Everything that could go wrong, went wrong. Mainly, because of Atlético itself, starting with the maximum person in charge, Diego Simeon, and ending with the last player. Alone cloud, which also offers doubts this course, is saved from burning. He made several interventions to prevent the balance from becoming unbalanced before for those of Marcelino.

And that Atlético jumped on the field well. He even saw a goal disallowed Joao Felix (fairly) for clearly offside. Later Lemar He claimed a penalty (which it was). And that’s where the league champion ended. No high pressure, no close lines, no possession of the ball, no dangerous attacks… no attitude. And of the entire list, the last is the most worrying.

Because after getting ahead on the scoreboard, almost unintentionally, with a good header from Joao Felix that he ended up putting in his goal Unai Simon, the mattress box disappeared (even more) from the pitch. Simeone got into Suarez to play against and behind, the team did what they did all season: fail.

Because in just four minutes, Athletic scored two goals to come back. Both on set pieces. Both in separate corner kicks fatally defended by the rojiblancos and very well attacked by the Biscayans. If it happens to you once, it may be a mistake. If it happens to you twice in a game (there were more, but those ended in a goal) it’s a lack of intensity. But if it has been happening to you repeatedly since the season began, the problem is serious.

The fact is that Atlético is back home. Wasting the opportunity to fight for a title due to incapacity and lack of attitude and evidencing, also in Arabia, the same problems for months. There was no oasis in the desertor. Atlético will have to improve a lot, not to win something this season, but to be among the top four. Athletic, yes, fair winner. More than deserved his pass to the final. He was the one who most wanted to win. And he achieve it.

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