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On Saturday evening, the Spanish capital, Madrid, witnessed an upset. Atletico Madrid defeated their cross-city rivals, Real Madrid by a goal in a derby game. However, something else, something more transcendent occurred that day. There was a shift in power.
However, like every such scenario, this shift in power wasn’t achieved in a day. Let’s rewind to May 2013.
Real Madrid faced Atleti in the Copa Del Rey final. Cristiano Ronaldo headed the ball into the net in the 14th minute which gave Madrid the lead. So far, everything had gone according to plan.
Diego Costa leveled the score in the 35th minute and this “predictable” fixture was turned on it’s head.
The match went into extra time and Atletico’s central defender, Miranda headed the ball home. Diego Simeone’s men won the cup and Madrid was bathed in red and white that night.
That was the night when there was a shift in mentality. A germ of an idea formed in the minds of Atleti’s fans. Could it be? Could they could become the new kings of Madrid? Atletico hadn’t defeated the Los Blancos since 1999. However, the next win came much faster, and in a much more decisive manner.
On Saturday, Angel Di Maria lost possession in a seemingly lazy manner in his own half in the 11th minute. Koke and Diego Costa seized the opportunity with both legs, so to speak.
Koke slid through to Costa who scored his eighth goal of the campaign. It was also the only goal that night.
Atletico, the so called “El Cholo” are the league leaders, since the win over Real Madrid ensured that their perfect record continued unhindered. They now have seven wins out of seven, and are at the top of the league, along with Barçelona. In third position, trailing them by five points, is the powerhouse, the summer’s big spenders: Real Madrid.
Their styles of play are markedly different. Real Madrid is a joy to watch. There’s a fluidity in the way they play the game that it keeps the viewer’s eyes glued on to them.
Atletico, however, are anything but easy on the eye. However, they also manage to make sure the fans don’t take their eyes off of them.
Simeone’s team is industrial. That’s by far the best word I could find to describe them. They’re consistent and have a solid, well balanced team.
They have one of the league’s most solid defenses. Thibaut Courtois, excellent between the posts, stands behind Juanfran, Miranda, Diego Godin and Filipe Luis.
Falcao’s departure has in fact, aided them in their evolution as a better team. They reinvested smartly and have formed an attack which is stable and extremely functional.
Diego Costa is highly talented, no doubt. Koke is versatile, industrial and provides excellent support to Costa. The likes of David Villa and Arda Turan offer much needed support from the bench.
Atletico has a high degree of functionality and stability at the moment, that the manager of their arch rivals, Carlo Ancelotti himself is trying to attain.
Ancelotti on their new game plan:
“We are trying to play more with ball on the ground. We wont change coz of 2 bad games. The players can play this system.”
Real Madrid have a better team, no arguments there. They have a star studded team which, on paper, can decimate any given team on any given night. However, what they lack, at the moment, is balance. The right mix of players to brew the essence of victory.
Luka Modriç, their best performer this season was dropped for the derby because Ancelotti felt he wouldn’t bring the required balance to the team’s midfield. Karim Benzema hasn’t scored since Week 2, and the Madrid fans aren’t happy with that. The team’s also plagued with injuries and fitness problems. Xabi Alonso, Marcelo, Gareth Bale are all either injured or aren’t completely fit.
Sure, there have been a lot of changes in personnel recently. Ancelotti being appointed as their head coach, Mesut Ozil‘s departure and the arrival of Isco and Bale at Bernabeu have all made a few weeks of bedding-in period necessary for the Los Blancos. But it looks as if Atleti have creeped ahead during this time.
Yes, it’s just been seven games in to the season, and Yes, Real Madrid still haven’t settled down and managed to pick the perfect starting line-up. The White side of the city is definitely the favorites to finish the highest in the league table. However, Saturday’s loss to their rivals should be a warning sign to Real Madrid.
Irrespective of who the King of Madrid is, their rivals from across the city are no more mere pushovers. Nor is La Liga a two-horse race anymore. Atletico Madrid have arrived, and they’re here to stay. Who knows, maybe in a few years, Atletico might in fact, become the rulers of Madrid.
