Atlético returns to the old ways although it wins on the wire

It did not deserve it because it was not better than Cádiz, quite the opposite, but four days after visiting Manchester United, Atlético was more forceful and chained for the first time in this League four victories that consolidate it in the Champions zone, above even from Barça but with two more games. The dynamics of the results have changed, but this time the victory was not accompanied by a good game. The people of Madrid won a key event but returned to their old ways, with nerves, doubts, defensive imbalances and the sin of conservatism when goals from Joao Félix and De Paul put them ahead. They have to improve a lot to win at Old Trafford, but that will be another battle and it is known that this Atlético likes to go undercover.

He found a gift from Ledesma at the beginning that Joao Félix took advantage of with class and cold blood, but Atlético was clearly surpassed by Cádiz in the first half. Due to the inability to manage the games from possession of the ball, due to that cholista tendency to back down when taking advantage, to relax thinking about the great Champions League event and due to the good work of his opponent, the champion returned to his old ways and he paid for it with the tie, sealed by Negredo, with a header, on the brink of halftime.

The whistles of the local fans to their players were more than justified when they retired to the changing rooms. Beyond that early goal by Joao Félix, the fifth in the last five games, Atlético did not exist. A calamity. Insecurity in defense, constant inaccuracies in midfield, to which Koke returned after three games out, and no presence of lanes Llorente and Carrasco and also of Griezmann, who returned to the starting lineup after fifteen games weighed down by poor injuries. He was like absent.

Cádiz had the enormous merit of not falling apart for the present 1-0 and was better in all aspects, with and without the ball. Before equalizing, he had already warned with two shots deflected by Pacha Espino and Rubén Sobrino. The equalizer came, once again, in a pumped ball that was finished off by Negredo, a specialist, free of a mark. Erró Reinildo, who minutes before was saved from expulsion thanks to VAR. He entered Sobrino with both feet in front and González Fuertes punished him with the red, but since he went to ground level and touched the ball from the monitors from the monitor room, they forgave the Mozambican, a selfless defense but with the accentuated defense of measuring evil.

Tension

The clash was resumed with a key movement in Atlético. Koke was out and Lodi was in, with Carrasco moving to the right side and Llorente to the inside position. In addition, the rojiblancos increased the pressure, advanced lines and gave it more impetus. Cádiz began to play with the result, the time and the nerves of the opponent. He temporized but from time to time he scared in some counterattack.

As his team was still very stuck, with half an hour to go, Cholo turned to Luis Suárez and Correa. And soon the second came. It was caused by the connection between Llorente and Correa, the intelligence of the Uruguayan forward, Ledesma’s poor clearance and Rodrigo de Paul’s arrival from behind. Two shots on goal and two goals, maximum mattress efficiency. And again, a step back that gave Cádiz wings. Luis Hernández brushed the tie after a false start by Oblak, but Giménez saved under the sticks. One more day, Atlético played with fire, ending up in inferiority due to the rigorous expulsion of youth squad player Javi Serrano, but this time fortune was on their side. Cádiz falls again after four days without losing. But he is very much alive.