Monday 7 August 2017 10:39, UK
La Liga presenter David Garrido gives his thoughts on Atletico Madrid's friendly performance against Brighton ahead of the new season.
While the new English football season has got underway and fans of Premier League clubs only have days to wait, La Liga teams still have a couple of weeks before they kick a ball.
It's an intriguing situation. Real Madrid have done their business early - Jesus Vallejo, Theo Hernandez and Dani Ceballos all in and settling well - while Atletico are unable to register players but having creatively worked the system to sign Vitolo from Sevilla in January via a loan from Las Palmas. Meanwhile, Barcelona have €222m burning a hole in their pocket and are poised to recruit rapidly.
For the big two's top challengers, I witnessed a very atypical Atletico performance against Brighton despite naming a strong starting XI to take on the Premier League new-boys. They enjoyed more possession than perhaps they are used to, but won the game 3-2 despite appearing to lose focus midway through the second half while one of their star performers was notably off-colour.
For the 950 away fans who had helped pack out a 26,000-capacity crowd at the Amex Stadium, there must have been doubts earlier this summer about whether they would see Antoine Griezmann during pre-season. There was relief all around when he emerged from the tunnel wearing one of the new season's shirts, but his display was a frustrated and largely ineffectual one, often operating too far from goal as Brighton sat in their two banks of four and diligently marked the space.
Whatever chances Griezmann had before half-time, ex-Valencia keeper Mathew Ryan kept them out with a mixture of decent shot-stopping and excellent positioning and therefore his fumble for Nico Gaitan's opener just before the break was both uncharacteristic and unfortunate.
Yannick Carrasco was clearly Atletico's biggest threat in that first 45 minutes, probing from the left and being denied a penalty when the visitors did find a way through. Koke sat deep and often picked the ball up from the back four to then distribute, and Gabi marshalled things supremely.
So far so familiar, but the change came at the interval, with Brighton's predicted response somehow surprising Atletico - a Pascal Gross shot deflecting in off both Nico Gaitan and the near post for the hosts' equaliser. It's as if they suddenly realised it was a home game and Los Rojiblancos suddenly realised it was still pre-season for them, as they struggled to get into gear and respond.
The flank nearest the press box at the Amex was the source of most of the action, which became increasingly open and frenetic - and not to Atleti's liking. Along with Anthony Knockaert, Solly March was chief tormentor to pin back Juanfran and those latter two assisted the next two goals for their respective sides. Both were pinpoint crosses for Fernando Torres and Steve Sidwell headers and before we knew it, the score was 2-2 and we had a game on our hands.
Everyone seemed to be enjoying it - except Diego Simeone. The Argentine was as energetic as always, despite it being a 'friendly', but the animations became increasingly insistent and plaintive. Many of his cries were aimed at Carrasco and Gaitan followed by grimaces or winces as moves broke down. He shouted "cerca, cerca!" at his players, asking them to get closer to the Brighton players as they grew in confidence and started to stroke the ball around. Control was what Simeone was after, what he craves, to suffocate the opposition and he wasn't getting it.
Atletico's big chance to win it appeared when substitute Angel Correa hustled and harried for possession, and the ball fell into the path of Griezmann unmarked inside the area, on his left foot. That combination of circumstances almost inevitably results in a goal - but on this occasion, the outside-of-the-boot technique was significantly less than perfect, and the ball flying into the crowd was met with one of the loudest cheer of the afternoon.
Moments later, Griezmann's attempts to control a bouncing ball in the 18-yard box eluded him once more, only for the ricochet to fall to Lucas Hernandez to lash it home left-footed. That's how it's done, Antoine. 3-2 was the final score.
It was a useful run-out then for Atletico as they now return home for two more games next weekend, and thankfully for Simeone, they're both derbies against Leganes on Friday and Getafe on Saturday as he hopes for an increase in intensity.
For those Atleti fans at Brighton, a more complete performance and a greater margin of victory is what was desired for them to truly believe that they can lay down a challenge to Barcelona and Real once the season starts for real.
