What a dream day for . In his , Diego Simeone was in a position to relaxation each participant within the beginning 11 from Wednesday’s Champions League match, give three Atlético Madrileño merchandise their first group debuts and achieve three necessary factors towards securing Champions League participation for subsequent season.
Many thought that this could be a uninteresting match to observe, given Valencia’s current kind and Simeone beginning a wholly new group of gamers. However for Atleti, the match was something however uninteresting. Simeone’s males generated 11 photographs within the first half, probably the most that the Rojiblancos have mustered in an away match in LaLiga this season. Frankly, Valencia had been very fortunate to be tied going into halftime.
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The second half is when issues lastly opened up for Atleti. Shortly after the hour mark, two Atlético Madrileño gamers, Iker Luque and Miguel Llorente Cubo, had been subbed on for his or her first group debuts. Little did they understand how impactful their debuts can be.
Luque didn’t wait lengthy to make this influence. Ten minutes after approaching to the pitch, Luque acquired a ball from and slotted it house at ’s close to publish to open the scoring. Simply eight minutes after that, the 18-year-old Cubo capitalized on a Valencia protection that went to sleep, pondering that assistant Antoine Griezmann was offside within the buildup. Nevertheless, VAR intervened, Cubo’s purpose was given, and Valencia’s anger was compounded when had a purpose disallowed for a foul on .
Atleti’s reserve group was higher in all areas of the match than Valencia, and that’s received to be a tough capsule for El Che to swallow. This was Atleti first clear sheet away from house in LaLiga because the 1-0 win at Oviedo in February, and it prolonged the group’s lead over fifth-place to 13 factors, whereas maintaining the hole to in third to 5 factors.
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Let’s dive into some takeaways from this joyous win at Mestalla.
Ought to Molina begin at RW in opposition to ?
What a day from . Has he earned a begin from Simeone on the proper wing place?
Given ’s tough stretch of kind and Nico González’s muscle harm, Molina now has gained some momentum to fit right into a proper wing or proper midfielder position in opposition to Arsenal on Tuesday. Proper now, he’s a respectable menace to attain from exterior the field at any time, and Cholo Simeone highlighted his consolation in transitions throughout his post-match press convention.
In a match the place Arsenal are going to be robust to interrupt down, does Molina’s unpredictability give Atlético a significant benefit?
Molina was full of sophistication at Valencia. He arrange an early probability for Rodrigo Mendoza with a deft backheel, despatched a number of harmful crosses into the field and was inches away from scoring a Puskás contender with a 40-yard rocket off the publish. Molina earned Man of the Match award for his efforts; he was simply Simeone’s greatest offensive participant on the pitch.
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Molina has been an attention-grabbing case this season. He’s enjoying with confidence now after months — years — of inconsistency. He’s scored outside-the-box golazos in opposition to and , placing reminiscences of him being whistled in August’s squad presentation out of view. Sure, he stays shaky in 1v1 defending deep in his personal half, however perhaps he might do with a task nearer to the field as Atleti face the season’s defining contest on Tuesday.
Will the 2026 winter switch window find yourself being one of many best switch home windows in Atleti historical past? The main focus has been largely on the instant influence of , but it surely’s time to offer two newcomers from the winter window their flowers as nicely.
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Followers had been a bit flummoxed by Rodrigo Mendoza and Obed Vargas’ twin arrivals in February. However MLS fanatics and followers will let you know that Vargas is the actual deal. The performances he’s began to string collectively warranted his first purpose contribution — the help on Luque’s eventual winner — for the group he grew up watching.
Vargas’ understated technical high quality, sturdy bodily attributes and very good tactical understanding underline . He appears to be like well-suited already to the European recreation and has delivered virtually every time Simeone has referred to as upon him in LaLiga.
Opposite to Vargas, Mendoza had expectations coming to Madrid. Whether or not honest or not, the teenager from was dubbed the “subsequent ” as the 2 midfielders share the identical company. Mendoza doesn’t have as a lot skilled soccer expertise, however his technical potential is spectacular — even when the identical consistency of performances hasn’t adopted.
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Like Vargas, Mendoza has benefited from the enjoying time provided by Simeone’s rotations within the league matches. If Atleti can get previous Arsenal on Tuesday, it’s doubtless we’ll see Mendoza and Vargas much more.
With Mendoza and Vargas each evolving, Atlético Madrileño pivot Javi Morcillo is also demonstrating he belongs in Primera. Assuming and can keep wholesome and can proceed to beat Father Time, Atleti’s midfield all of a sudden begins to look a bit crowded subsequent season. First group expertise will likely be priceless for the three, whether or not it’s Morcillo, Mendoza, Vargas or any mixture.
My private opinion is that I feel Morcillo and Vargas will exit on mortgage and Mendoza will keep. Mendoza’s technical potential might be the very best of the three and I feel that may enhance even additional with a full offseason beneath Simeone.
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How good is that this academy era?
Cholo Simeone handed first group debuts to 3 extra Atlético Madrileño gamers — Iker Luque, Miguel Llorente Cubo and Aleksa Purić — within the match in opposition to Valencia, highlighting the membership’s rising belief in its youth system.
They now be a part of seven different academy merchandise who’ve damaged into the senior aspect this season: , Dani Martínez, Javi Morcillo, Taufik Seidu, Javi Boñar, Jano Monserrate and , marking a notable inflow of homegrown expertise into the primary group.
Morcillo gave the impression to be all around the Valencia midfielders earlier than attacking strikes might ever get going. Wherever the ball was, you possibly can often discover Morcillo there as nicely. And Boñar is beginning to make a reputation for himself, too; his versatility to play right-back and center-back might immediate one other group in LaLiga to convey him in on mortgage, and even presage a keep within the first group.
Simeone continues to offer the academy merchandise extra alternative, absolutely silencing critics who’ve claimed for years that the coach doesn’t worth younger gamers. The youth system has benefited from higher funding lately, and a productive cantera provides the primary group a attainable sporting enhance — or an financial enhance to the membership.