It’s one of those bottom vs. top fixtures (we’re in 17th, they’re in 2nd) but we’re still expecting the upset, despite a ten year hex in the way. Derbies are always special and when you play matches like these, you forget about everything else, such as table position and the fact that you’re eliminated from the Champions League (grrr). Just sit back, grab a cold one, and enjoy. And yell loudly at the television set.

Atletico, recently living up to their cruel “El Pupas” monicker, have supposedly found their ground in the match against Chelsea. They played like they hadn’t played this season before, with a defense that was effective for 82 minutes and a Kun Aguero performance to remember. Did I mention that he was injured also? Sure, it was a Champions League match and some teams perform above and beyond, but you definitely know that Quique is expecting no less tomorrow. For both the ascension up the table, and for the win against the eternal rival.

The last time Atletico defeated Real was in the 1999/2000 season. In other words, way too long. If they don’t win tomorrow, that’s an entire damn decade of not winning a derby. There were some draw matches in between, and there were still many excellent matches despite them ending 1-1, but not one victory. However, we must forget about the numbers and move on from there.

I’m a huge believe that the location of matches are important, but unfortunately, Atletico hasn’t benefited much when playing this derby at home. Let me remind you what happened the last two times the derby took place at the Calderon. First minute goals. Two years ago, it was Raul and last year it was Van Nistelrooy. I can’t explain why this happened, maybe it was a Javier Aguirre thing, but it’s very obvious: overconfidence. Hell, I believe that fat Ronaldo pulled this first-minute goal thing about 4 years ago. Goddammit.

It may be a psychological factor as to why Atletico struggles to win these matches. Like I mentioned before, I’m excited for this match despite knowing that Real has the superior record. I’m not alone; the team gets excited too, and goes full out during these matches, which can be bad if you’re not careful. Last season during the first derby, Simao equalized near the end of the match and next thing you know, Heitinga fouled Drenthe in the box and Higuain slotted in the penalty. Game over. Overexcitement and hastiness being the downfall once again.

That’s why Atletico did so well in the derby at the Bernabeu last season. Abel Resino and the squad knew that if they were the team with all the bite, they would stand a chance at winning the match. And what a match that was. The ball hit crossbar after crossbar, then a solid Diego Forlan goal, all to be cancelled out by a Huntelaar equalizer and a 1-1 result that should have been much more for us. It wasn’t a win, but still a match to remember. For most of the match, we scared them, and that’s what we needed to do in order to stand a chance at winning.

Asenjo: This sucks man. Why do we have to pose?
Iker: Kid, do you know what sex is?
Asenjo: Umm what the hell, Iker?
Iker: Huhuh sorry kid I’m a little tipsy
Both: Huhuhuhuh

This time around, things are definitely more different. This new edition of Real Madrid, who in correlation to how much they spent this summer on players, are technically “failing” for not being the biggest and baddest football team in the world right now. They lost to that 3rd division team, lost to AC Milan at home, but are still a dangerous team nonetheless. Thank goodness they don’t have Cristiano Ronaldo available, because Kaka is scary enough. And many of Atletico’s old derby bogeymen (Raul, Higuain, Nistelrooy) will probably make an appearance. On paper, we’re facing an even better squad than last year, and plenty of experience on their squad as well. Guti Maricón didn’t make the squad, but I doubt that’ll make a difference anyway.

And how would you compare the new Real Madrid to the new Atletico? No comparison, Real is miles ahead in many departments except the attack. This current Atletico is a bit hurt from the bad outcome of the season so far, but they are working hard on improving from there. That’s Quique’s priority right now, not only to improve results, but to work with what the team has and find a method of working that will help us get back to normal ways. His formula against Chelsea worked, and it may work again tomorrow. Don’t let the standings and the numbers fool you. We still have a chance at winning.

The lineup:

This is the 99% official lineup that will play tomorrow:

Asenjo
Perea, Pablo, Ujfalusi, A. Lopez
Reyes, Cleber, R. Garcia, Simao
Aguero, Forlan

Not too many changes from the Chelsea match, with Ujfalusi and R. Garcia in the lineup. Juanito is injured and Assuncao is suspended from yellow card accumulation. Reyes’ performance on Tuesday seems to have been good enough to earn him a start against his former club. Aguero still has a bit of a groin problem, but he’s fit enough to start anyway (he scored the brace against Chelsea with the same exact problem!). Asenjo is once again the starting keeper, and the rest of the lineup is familiar to us all.

So the only thing I ask of the squad is not to fight against the ten year hex, but to just go out there and win the match.

AUPA ATLETI!

Don’t F around with that babelfish translation shit, I translated it just for you. Warning: it’s quite long.

How do you see the dressing room after the elimination from the Champions League?

It hasn’t been too difficult because we knew that we had to win every single match in order to have a possibility to get into the next round. What we looked for against Chelsea was to find what Quique wanted, which was an adequate system for our team’s abilities. We had the match under control after Kun’s 1-0, but what we wanted was to find the rhythm to help the team function again.

What did Quique say after the match against Chelsea?

He didn’t say anything in particular. He shook our hands and talked about punctual things during the match. But nothing in particular. What’s true is that you really can’t say much right after matches.

Porto and Chelsea are both big clubs. But doesn’t it hurt to be out of the Champions League when there’s still two matches left to be played?

What’s difficult is not being eliminated, but to be so low in the group and to be in relegation zone. That’s what is difficult. In these first few months, we didn’t play well in the League nor in the Champions League. And now what we have left is to qualify for the Europe League.

Last year, the team didn’t lose once in Europe after 8 matches. In this one, you haven’t won out of the four. What happened to you guys in this competition?

It’s not only the CL. It’s general because we have only won one match in all competitions. The match against Chelsea was positive because we did well and we made chances. We controlled the match, something which is very positive. Just like they had chances as well. This is fundamental in order to keep on working toward what Quique wants.

Now it’s your turn to battle against APOEL for third place. Isn’t this an objective that wouldn’t be too ambitious for a squad like Atlético? Are you motivated?

The Europa League is still motivation for us. It’s true that the Champions League is an important tournament, but we’re not in contention any more and we must look ahead. And there’s nothing else but the Europa League.

And in that path, you run into Real Madrid. Do you think that a victory over your biggest rival will help you forget the disaster of being eliminated from the CL?

We were all aware of the situation. What we need to do is fight so that the team goes back to what it once was. We’re the same players and we need to gel as soon as possible.

Will Cristiano Ronaldo’s absence have an effect?

He is, without a doubt, one of the best players in the world. Real Madrid has played some matches without him, but they still have a squad with great players. They’re one point from Barcelona and that says it all. Cristiano is a great player, but whoever takes his place will do just as well.

You and Higuain arrived to Europe very young, to big clubs and you had to work hard to make your place. What do you think about the Argentine striker?

El Pipita is a great player. He’s growing more and more and his progression as a player hasn’t stalled.

Pellegrini was your manager at Villarreal. Do you still keep in touch with him? Have you talked about the crisis in Madrid?

No, I don’t keep in touch with Pellegrini.

What do you think about the new Real Madrid? Do you find the criticism a little exaggerated for a team that’s second in the league?

The criticism is understandable. The players at Real Madrid are very experienced and know that at big clubs, there are many comments and critics. But the league is long. They’re a point from the lead and despite that, there is always a but.

What do you think about the debate over Raul starting, the other number 7 of the derby?

He has been at Madrid for a long time and has scored an infinity of goals. He has sacrificed much. There aren’t words to define Raul. His career is untouchable. He’s a great player that doesn’t play in the position that he’s best in, inside the box.

Which one of Real’s weak points will you try to take advantage of this Saturday?

We have to try hard during these matches. We must give our all, despite them having a great team. The example that we’ll be following is the match against Chelsea. We played them well and we ended up achieving a draw.

What does a player at a big club think when he sees his team in the relegation zone?

It feels bad to see us in such an uncomfortable situation. But it was worse before, because in addition to being so low we weren’t doing well in the football aspect. In the last matches, we demonstrated that we’re more confident, worked harder, and were more united. We’re in relegation zone, but it’s still a long path. We’re sure that we’ll keep on working to improve and to achieve results fast.

Has the club’s institutional crisis affected the team?

We really don’t care. We need to isolate ourselves from that environment and from the problems. Our job is to work on the pitch for what Quique wants and asks of us. We have to work together more by the day.

Does the team really have enough time and quality to re-enter the CL like Quique said during his presentation? Which teams will be your greatest rivals?

It’s complicated. There are many teams that are just as strong and it’s hard just to say names. We need to work hard and collect points to climb back up.

How far ahead is Real Madrid and Barcelona from the rest of the teams?

We are very behind. In recent fixtures, some teams have equaled them talent wise. But Barcelona, in a football aspect, is a step ahead of the rest of the teams. In Spain and in the world.

Has there been contact with Real Madrid and Barcelona’s people in the past summer?

I don’t know if anything was certain. I knew there were rumors and I don’t know if they were true or not. I’m not interested.

Do you regret continuing at Atlético? Do you think you will finish your career here?

I haven’t signed the renewal yet. We’re almost there. I’m very happy and don’t regret continuing here, but it’s too soon to know if I’ll finish my career here.

Next week is the World Cup playoff against Costa Rica. What does this playoff mean to you and to a country like Uruguay?

The playoff is very important, and vital. What’s more important is to qualify because it’s important to the entire country. We need to win and go to South Africa.

At Uruguay you share the attacking roles with Luis Suarez, a forward that has been mentioned as a possible signing for your club. Do you think that he’ll join you in playing under the same Atlético badge?

I have a good relationship with Luis because we play together on the national team. If he signs here, he’ll be welcomed

Not too long ago you received your second Golden boot. Nobody has won this prize three times in Europe. Do you wish to win it a third time?

A third Golden boot would be incredible. But it’s nothing easy because like you said, nobody has done it yet. I’m already happy having won two. The first was nice. The second, incredible.

What has Quique brought within his first week? Do you notice his work?

Quique has worked a lot tactic wise, also in organizing the team in many aspects. There isn’t much time between matches and we need to assimilate quickly to what we’re learning.

Was sacking Abel the solution to the problems, or the obvious action for the club in a moment of crisis?

Unfortunately, in football you run into this circumstances and when a team isn’t well, the first thing to do is to sack the manager.

Do you want to send a message to the supporters?

To the supporters, I say that we aren’t well, but to have patience with us. We want to win and bring many joys to the people.

We’re dumped out of the Champions League, but at the same time, have plenty to look forward to, and a performance to applaud. The team that played today was one that was absent all season and played with all their might. Chelsea was Chelsea, and Drogba was a beast as usual, but our response to them was Kun Aguero, who had one of his best matches in a long time. He only even played for 35 minutes!

It was a draw, but it was still good.

Atletico Madrid 2 – Chelsea 2:

1-0 65′ Aguero
1-1 82′ Drogba
1-2 88′ Drogba
2-2 90′ Aguero

The match

For the neutral, the first half was boring because of the lack of goals, but from the Atletico Madrid fan’s perspective, it was a breath of fresh air to see the team have superior possession and go toe-to-toe with Chelsea. With those 82 minutes of not conceding a goal, the defense was having one of its best matches ever. Good possession and solid tackles (especially Pablo) was something that the team hadn’t remembered how to do. Antonio Lopez made up for his shabby performances in the past, and he was one to thank for the first goal, because of his deflected shot. It truly was a shame to concede those two goals late into the match.

In the midfield, Assuncao was the same klutz as usual getting yellowed but still did well in his d-mid role. Cleber also did well moving the ball up and helping the attack. Reyes had a solid match as well and he had a terrific curling shot in the first half that looked like it was going in. Simao was the same player as usual, doing his part with crosses and helping the attack. Shame that Forlan didn’t have better luck scoring, and Sinama was getting owned all the time by the defense. It wasn’t until Kun Aguero came in that the attack finally found some flavor.

Drogba’s brace really was unfortunate. It was a shame that Drogba was able to jump a foot higher than any of our defenders, and Asenjo was unlucky to rebound the ball in front of Drogba to give him an easy tap-in. It felt like all the work during the entire match was all for nothing when Chelsea was a goal up.

Then Aguero scored the free kick. Completely unexpected but fitting, because we didn’t deserve to lose. Atleti played like a real team for most of the match, and we can say goodbye to the Champions League with dignity.

In many ways, we “won”. We won Pablo and Reyes’ confidence back from their good showing today. We also won the old Kun Aguero back, and a sense of team unity that is leaps and bounds better than the earlier parts of the season. From this point on, it feels like things will get better.

What now?

Europa League, that’s what. It is a more deserving place for the team at the moment, and is a trophy that will be possible to win. Just imagine Atletico using this match as the needed turning point. With a performance like today’s (minus conceding two) I am convinced that the team can go far into the Europa. All that’s needed is to secure a win or two, the next matchday hosting Porto and the following one away to APOEL. So at the moment, it’s Atletico vs APOEL contending for third place.

I’m not going to lie, I’m not too disappointed with third place. Could I honestly say that Atletico would go really far into the Champions League after what we’ve seen this season? It’s time for a more realistic trophy, one that we let slip away two years ago and one that we are more than capable now than ever to win.

The boys are making the effort and for that, we must appreciate it.

The mighty Chelsea is in town and despite the 4-0 thrashing that they gave us two weeks ago, our confidence is through the roof, according to Quique. What is there to be afraid of, to be honest? The fact is, they are group leaders and 2nd in the Premier League and we’re relegation fodder in La Liga and at the bottom of our group.

So I’ll be honest, man. There’s plenty to be scared of.

I mentioned in the last preview of how afraid I was of these two teams meeting up, and now it’s even worse because the same fear is there, with a 4-0 loss to them being the cherry on top of the fear sundae (forgive my bad metaphor, it’s late). The last time that these teams faced off, Chelsea was the only team on the pitch well-trained and organized, in other words, the only team with a chance of winning. Atletico, as you may all know, is capable of winning any match, but their erratic form and paper-thin defense is what holds us back from being one of the top clubs in Europe. It’s almost embarrassing. This season has been terrible so far, and our only win was somewhat lucky, against an inferior side that was inches away from equalizing anyway.

I’ve mentioned that it has been hard to see Atleti struggle like they have so far into the season, and facing Chelsea then Real Madrid next weekend isn’t helping. We were in a similar situation last season, after losing 6-1 to Barcelona then those “fixtures from hell” against Sevilla, Real Madrid, and Villarreal. After those, things picked up and we had an undefeated streak for about two months. In this case, we can’t afford to have things pick up after these two fixtures from hell. This is our participation in European competition on the line, and an important derby to win against our cousins the following weekend. The winning must begin tomorrow.

So far, I’m happy with what Quique has been doing with the team. It’s almost a breath of fresh air to see another hungry manager in charge, and even Kun Aguero is pleased with his “distinct methods of training”. Quique will demand the best from the team, and I’m confident that the squad will come out of its losing streak under him. The Copa del Rey victory was an easy match that helped the team realize its stupid mistakes, and the fighting spirit in the loss to Bilbao was the beginning to what would be an improvement over the early part of the season.

Chelsea will be Chelsea, and will still put on a solid performance like usual. However, they are obviously not invincible (*cough* lost to Wigan) and the only way that we can defeat them is if we go above and beyond what we have done so far into this season. Do you honestly think that there has been any performance this season that we should look back on and think that we should repeat it today?

I think that the answer is “no”, except the first CL qualifications against Panathinaikos. I just watched the highlight video of it and I felt ashamed when I realized that the video was the only good performance since last season. What I saw was a team that wanted to enter the Champions League, and put on a killer performance on the way there. It was reminiscent of last year’s Champions League performances. That’s what I want to see tomorrow.

The difference in quality is astounding, but the same trite statement holds true: “anything can happen in football”. We do indeed have a great squad, and we’re at home to boot. We can give any top team in Europe a match to remember so I don’t see how it’ll be any different tomorrow. The only thing to worry about is the paper-thin defense, but otherwise, we have the tools to go ahead and get our first win of the group. There’s no purpose to think about where Atletico will end up after the group stages are over, because the only thing that’s important is thinking about winning tomorrow. The team needs faith, and we will give it to them.

When you think about it, a victory over Chelsea would be considered an “upset”. That’s just a sign of how deep of a hole Atletico has dug itself into.

-

PORTEROS
1 Asenjo.
43 De Gea.

DEFENSAS
2 Valera.
3 Antonio López.
16 Juanito.
17 Ujfalusi.
18 Álvaro Domínguez.
21 Perea.
22 Pablo Ibáñez.

CENTROCAMPISTAS
8 Raúl García.
9 Jurado.
11 Maxi Rodríguez.
12 Paulo Assunção.
19 Reyes.
20 Simão.
23 Cléber Santana.

DELANTEROS
7 Forlán.
10 Kun Agüero.
14 Sinama-Pongolle.

Once again, there is no purpose in a review. Pretty much, it was an unfortunate first result for Quique Sanchez and the team suffered once again from bad set piece defense, despite playing a good second half and hitting the crossbar on three separate occasions. It’s such a letdown considering that we’re hosting Chelsea in the midweek, then Real Madrid the following weekend. Quique may be thinking about what he got himself into, but the team will eventually get up and running and this is a bad string of fixtures to help that spark ignite. Most of you are familiar with how Atleti has been doing so far into the season, and this match is no different, so here’s the video and I’ll leave it at that. Better posts are definitely on their way.

The idiot commentator is the highlight of the video.

Quique Sanchez Flores has officially been presented as Atlético Madrid’s new manager this morning.

Speaking on behalf of the team’s slump, Quique stated the obvious: the morale has to improve:

“We intend to bring back up a team that has plenty of tools to do so, and to make a connection between the players and the supporters as soon as possible. Our first objective is to recover the quality from these footballers and to maximize the performance with the squad that we have.

It would have been impossible to say no to an offer like this. From outside, it’s very tempting to manage Atletico and from the inside it’s an honor to belong to this club. We intend to make life easier for the supporters, the director’s board, and to bring out the most out of the players.”

He watched Saturday’s match from the stands and held his first training session yesterday, which by the way, was heavily protested by unhappy supporters. About 50 supporters, most of them Atlético Ultras, demanded “explanations” from the team and captain Antonio Lopez went outside to talk to a group of them.

Also, check out this excellent article on ESPN about Abel Resino’s eight months in charge of the team. Very good read.

Ladies and germs, the new manager.

By the way, Valencia fans, tell me about Quique since he was your manager a few years ago. Anything that’s not “he sucks” or “he’s awesome”.

We suck we suck we suck

Quique Sanchez Flores, best known for his stint at Valencia a few years ago, will be presented today as the new Atletico Madrid manager. The fact that he is Madridista is something that the director’s board didn’t originally like, but his desperation for work enthusiasm impressed the club and now he will take over.

Michael Laudrup, of Barca treachery, good looks and Getafe managerial success, was the first name on the list. However, after sitting down and having a cup of coffee with the sporting director, Laudrup claimed to have “too many doubts” which completely canceled his candidacy. According to Jesus Garcia Pitarch, the Atletico Madrid job “must illuminate your eyes, not give you doubts”.

Quique Flores and Italian media whore Luciano Spaletti were the second two names on the list, but because of Spaletti’s high salary demands, Quique was the better option.

I can’t be any happier with this news. It was about time that Resino got the sack because his stay was a bit prolonged. There was no reason to keep him as the team was going absolutely nowhere this season with him in charge. He did ultimately get us in a Champions League spot and saved us from the wreck that Aguirre left the club in, but this season, we only kept on going in decline.

We will definitely appreciate some great moments from last season with Resino in charge, such as the legendary 4-3 comeback against Barcelona and the excellent 1-1 draw in the Madrid derby. He is truly an Atletico at heart, having played as keeper for the club back in the early 90’s, so this was his dream job. I expect him to keep on managing lower division clubs as he was doing before, and moving on up from there. Good luck.

Who knows if Quique is good as a long term solution, but all I know is that we could use about anything right now. Plus, Atletico is known for always winning their first match with a new manager, so I’m looking for his first match in charge (which isn’t this weekend because Resino’s assistant Santi Denia will take over).

A proper Quique Flores post is soon to follow.

Let me tell you, I have seen us get outplayed before, but never this badly. Chelsea marked the shit out of each and every one of our players, and some of their flashy football was stuff that we see from the likes of Barca. Chelsea didn’t play “boring” as they are usually accused of doing; in comparison to us, they played football from another world while we were playing with a team from earth.

From the moment that Frank Lampard scored a free kick, later ruled for offside, I knew that there was going to be trouble. It didn’t take long for Salomon Kalou to get an easy chance on goal and miss it, but they were nowhere near being finished. What I remember about that play, I can’t forget. Ballack ( I think) received a pass and let the ball go through his lefs and it perfectly sliced a good ten feet in front of our defenders and onto the feet of Nicolas Anelka, who then passed to Kalou, still about 10 feet ahead of our defenders.

We definitely had our chances, such as a Kun Aguero one-on-one in the second half, and some good shots on goal from Forlan and Maxi Rodriguez, but the rest of the match can be remembered from Chelsea pretty much bullying our team and moving that ball up the pitch. You all probably read all those quotes about Chelsea working hard on the set pieces, and they managed to get two goals in from them. They were extremely prepared, and in great shape, while Abel Resino threw an Atletico squad onto the pitch while only crossing his fingers and hoping for the best. The difference was huge.

Granted, not many teams have a chance against Chelsea, especially at Stamford Bridge, but this match can be used not only as a wake-up call, but a wake-up call from effing hell. The club should use this match as a way to compare ourselves to an actual big gun. Everything from seeing how bad the defense was, to how ineffective the midfield was, and how clumsy the attack is. One of the main problems, obviously, is the motivation. The team isn’t properly motivated and Resino’s method of telling the team to simply “try harder and never give up” isn’t enough.

The next match day, we face Chelsea again, and at home. If things improve by then, in other words, Atletico are finally winning again, they’ll have a chance to win against Chelsea and finally earn their merits into getting second place. It’s not good to hope that other teams do bad, but I don’t care, I hope that APOEL beat Porto in the next match day and that we beat Chelsea. There’s still a chance to get into the next round. Regardless of where the team ends up next, whether it’s the knockout rounds or the UEFA Cup, points are absolutely vital. There is no way that Atletico will finish this group stage with three or less points. Last season we had 12! Are we really that much worse than last season?

Oh well. Supporters can’t do anything but stand behind the team, despite the temptation to bitch about how stupid some aspects of the club are. What really boggles my mind is how people can still have confidence in the coach. We’ve had one of the worst starts of the season since like, 1994, and our president is saying bullcrap like “there is absolutely no way that we are considering finding a new manager”. That’s not confidence, that’s just plain idiocy. How does this man even have a job anymore? Yeah, he’s Spanish and has Atletico in his blood, but he flat out sucks. Sorry to say, but I actually agree with the majority on this. Our president and directors board are idiots. Bad signings, bad decision to keep the coach, and pretty much bad everything.

This weekend, we face Mallorca, and if we don’t win, it’s the apocalypse.

It really does hurt to be an Atletico fan sometimes.