Atletico Madrid vs Real Madrid: 5 Key Talking Points
Score: Atletico Madrid 0 - 0 Real Madrid
A properly entertaining first half, a dull second half that exploded into life as it approached it's twilight, brutal physicality, Diego Simeone telling the ref that Dani Carvajal dived after he was clattered into by Lucas Hernandez in front of him, Sergio Ramos breaking his nose, nonsensical refereeing, niggly fouls, plenty of yelling, and a host of wasted chances - this was a Madrid Derby that touched upon what this fixture has been all about in the recent past, without ever really embracing the full potential this matchup always holds.
As we delve deeper into the 5 key talking points, the reasons will become apparent
P.S. The Wanda Metropolitana, grand and modern as it is, doesn't hold a candle to the soul and the feel of the Vicente Calderon - this Derby just underlined that.
#5. Neither Madrid side have any idea where they've misplaced their top-gear
This above stat alone shows you that Madrid weren't their usual selves on the night, but there are a number of instances that support the theory that Real Madrid have misplaced their gear-shift somewhere in the bowels of the Bernabeu and simply can't find a way to shift out of neutral.
The defense looked out of sorts and ready-to-be-taken for vast swathes of the first half, with most of Atleti's chances coming via sloppiness from the experienced Madrid XI themselves. The midfield hasn't really gotten going... and the less said about the misfiring duo of Karim Benzema and Cristiano Ronaldo, the better (though we will break this rule and talk about Ronaldo in the coming slides. Rules are meant to be broken, aren't they?)
On the other hand, Atletico Madrid did nothing of note to capitalise on Madrid's sloppiness and too often the men in charge of creating something - Antoine Griezmann especially - opted to take the safe route out and slow the game down instead of pressing home the advantage.
They are still unbeaten in La Liga, but this has got to be the amongst the most toothless unbeaten run the Spanish League has ever seen.
