Porto 2 – Atlético 0: End This Misery, Please

By: Al | October 1st, 2009

1254342498_extras_albumes_0 If losing this easily didn’t help prove that we suck, then I give up trying to convince you jerks. Just kidding, you’re not jerks. ANYWAY. What an embarrassment. Three points would be so lovely right now. Three points that should have been claimed two weeks ago against APOEL and three points that we won’t have a chance in hell to claim until we face Porto or APOEL again. Chelsea is the last team I’d like to face next.

The game against Porto yesterday wasn’t pretty, and in typical fashion we were tried hard but still were unfortunate in the end. There was some bite from Atlético once again, but surprise surprise: it wasn’t enough. Despite Porto losing key players over the summer, they still outdid us playing against an almost carbon copy of our last year’s squad. They even played better! Why can’t we do this? Oh right, we’re Atletico de Madrid. Atletico Headache, if you prefer.

The entire game before the first goal, at the 75^th minute, was solid. Good chances on goal for both teams and most importantly, Atletico showed some fighting spirit. We weren’t rampant, nor really the superior side, but we didn’t play like chumps either. It was an entertaining 0-0 but it eventually had to come to an end.

It did. The Porto goals were pretty solid, albeit pretty late into the game. The first was a solid backheel that De Gea (who had a good debut) had no chance against, and the second was an easy tap in after a shot from a corner kick. When I say that these goals were unfortunate, I mean that they didn’t happen because of boneheaded defensive mistakes. The defense went through hell but they still did an okay job. We conceded two so I feel hypocritical saying that.

How would I rate the team’s performance? Hmm. The defense was good, no doubt about it. Perea had trouble on the flank trying to stop Hulk (haha what a stupid Brazilian name) but wow at Pablo Ibañez. Him putting on a good performance means that he wasn’t owned by an opposition striker, so I was impressed. The center midfield did good, as they worked really hard and gave us a little something extra. Everyone else was lackluster. There’s no way that the defense should have had as many chances at scoring goals than effing Diego Forlan and Sergio Aguero. And what the hell at Simao. For a guy that I once thought was a genius and a less flashy Cristiano Ronaldo, he was no good.

So what’s next?

Pretty much, there are two things left: a f*cking miracle, or the UEFA Cup.

Our miracle: We defeat Chelsea once (the home game), defeat Porto when they visit us, then defeat APOEL away. That will leave us with 10 points, which is plenty to give us any sort of contention into the next round. We must also hope that Porto doesn’t gain too many points from their remaining matches, or APOEL for that matter. Qualification is still possible, but it’ll take a lot of balls to get past this disappointment.

The Europa League: I don’t like it. However, it’s a saving grace for any team’s lackluster season, so I can’t really rule it out. There would be more pride in doing something like getting to the quarter finals in the Champions League, for example, over winning the Europa League. At least getting far into the CL means that you’re able to contend with the big boys for a bit. In this case, the Europa League is a place that we deserve to be: not with the big boys. It pains me to say but we should be there instead. That’s how discouraged I am.

We can blame things on the coach but I don’t play that game. The blame is all on the players. A good system is in place, and the problem is that each player can’t reach their potential. Imagine Simao, Aguero, and Forlan having a terrific game. The game would have been so much different.

The Champions League dream is burning out fast, but the team’s improvement is a step-at-a-time process, and the next step is beating Zaragoza at home next weekend. If they can’t do that – I hear that playing in traffic sounds pretty fun.