Atlético’s Recent Performances: A Closer Look

Por Hugo Fralodeo 4 Jul 2024 – 20:03

Atlético’s recent performances have been disappointing, there’s no other way to put it. In fact, everything that has been happening at the Club is discouraging. But that’s a topic for another time. On the field, the situation is worrying. The football is pitiful, frustrating, poor. The heart of hope still beats just because we know what the team can do and it’s clear that it’s not for lack of commitment that things haven’t moved forward.

Yesterday, for a change, I was wrong. I called Alvinegro apathetic when facing Flamengo. Apathy implies indifference, emotional insensitivity, lack of interest. No. Unlike recent times – which I don’t want to remember – players, coaching staff and the rest of the football department – ​​which also deserves a chat soon – are feeling the lack of results and, mainly, of quality of play.

I’m not exempting anyone from blame. Obviously, Milito and his troupe, the group of players, Victor and his associates and Sérgio Coelho, the leader of the football committee, all of them, without exception, have their share of responsibility. The absences really messed things up, it’s true, but it could have been a little better. I had the nerve to predict (and get it right) certain moves by Mariscal to make up for the lack of certain players. Guys, Atlético had to go into a game with 16 outfield players available. No team can handle that.

It was said that the lack of harmony and rhythm between the starters weighed heavily and influenced the draw against Atlético-GO. That their goal was probably due to the difficulty in setting up an offside trap with players who are not used to playing together. In part, you can agree, but that goal shows all the problems Atlético has been facing.

Obviously, it will never be good for a team to have a revamped defense, a modified midfield, a different attack and new positioning for several players in each match, who will need to get used to adverse situations while the train is moving. Don’t get me wrong, I am perhaps the biggest advocate of spreading the concepts that explain the differences and relationships between function and position and, as Milito said very well after the defeat to Flamengo, summing it up in the most vulgar words: “improvising” is forcing the player to perform something he is not capable of, in a position in which he is not able to contribute to the team. But think about it, Fuchs has already rotated through all three positions in the first line, Battaglia moves up to the second and drops back to defense, Scarpa goes to the left and momentarily returns to the right, Cadu goes to the wings, plays Hulk, then Paulinho, who switches with Zaracho, who drops to the defensive midfield, Igor Gomes comes and goes from the team… see? And that’s not the coach’s fault, as he tries to find solutions to problems he didn’t create.

Everything that has been done during training at Cidade do Galo is patching up. Emergency stitches, to be more precise. With the little she has, Gaby is trying to heal the wounds opened in the previous match: if there is a lack of creativity against Palmeiras, Scarpa returns to the right side against Vitória. If Vitória’s goals come from the left side, Scarpa returns to play there against Fortaleza. If there is a lack of defensive balance against Fortaleza, more defenders against Internacional. If there was a lack of offensive impetus against Internacional, the forwards return against Atlético-GO. If Atlético-GO’s goal was due to the much-talked-about lack of cohesion in the defense, which was slower, we changed the defense once again for the next match, with a little more speed to combat Flamengo’s strong side and with Battaglia back alongside Fuchs to try to provide more security. It didn’t work.

Before you say that I’m defending the archaic idea of ​​having 11 starters and playing the same team until everyone is a success, I believe that rotating players is especially important to keep your legs fresh, especially in certain game circumstances. There may be a good time to use João, but there will be times when you’ll have to use Zé. However, it’s one thing to change two or three players every now and then, and it’s another to have to put together a new team every round. It’s a nightmare.

Not that everything will magically improve. Things won’t just sort themselves out, but when Milito has the entire team at his disposal, in a matter of a week, everything will start to fall into place. For those who are skeptical, there is still time, even in the Brazilian league, so you can rest assured. I’ve said it over and over again, Milito needed the force of chance to allow him to get results to buy the time that would sustain his credibility with the masses, who, from what I’ve seen, have understood that things are going as badly for him as they are for us, he’s one of us. By chance, luck, prayer, or whatever – I just want to make the text more beautiful, the reason is the great start to work, which has proven what he and his athletes can do, of course – other areas of Atlético, with performances even worse than the team that has been on the field, are diverting focus and saving the face of those who are clocking in at Cidade do Galo. At least for now.

When you can’t do anything beyond what is within your reach, it’s complicated. No matter how much you want to act, the more you try, the more complicated it seems to become. The Galo football department was once considered “food and entertainment” for the fans. That’s no longer the case. There’s no coach to ask for his head, no players to demand determination, no director to demand movement in the market, no president to ask for presence and active pressure at the training center, there’s none. If, when the DM is empty, the national team players finish returning and the reinforcements can debut, the train continues to be derailed, then there’s something to worry about. All we can do at this point is cheer.

This text is opinionated and is the sole responsibility of the author and does not necessarily reflect the thinking of the Fala Galo portal.

View post detailsShare this article
2024-07-04 23:17:07
#Rooster #playing #times