Torres and Atlético refuse to call it quits
Quite some time had elapsed since I last watched a game at Mestalla and I have to admit I was enraptured with what I saw. It was magnificent. Staying true to the black and orange motif, the impassioned supporters around the ground (as is the case at San Mamés) added to the meticulous appearance of the stadium. The crowd were in full voice, as always. In fact, they sound better than ever, as amongst the whole cacophony of noise, insulting chants seem to have nearly vanished. The liveliest section of the stadium wove a mixture of black flags with white crosses and white flags with black crosses. The colourful display was phenomenal to behold. This is the type of league we’re moving towards, the type of La Liga Javier Tebas has been dreaming of. Valencia, similar to Athletic Club, are already on the right track. Other clubs still have some ground to make up. Quite a lot of ground in the case of certain clubs.
All that being said, Valencia still have some ways to go at a sporting level. Los Che’s natural position in the pantheon of Spanish football is currently being occupied by Atlético, and they seem some way off recapturing those lofty heights. A lot of things have been managed poorly and it won’t be easy for them to rectify the situation. And to make matters worse, Gary Neville drew even more unfavourable attention to himself yesterday. The mess he made of bringing on a substitute to compensate for Santos’ sending off (the centre back had a nightmare) left him at the mercy of the baying mop’s vocal disapproval and it undoubtedly irked many of his own players as well. All in all, last night’s events compounded the sense of pessimism I discovered outside the stadium during the build-up to the match.
Meanwhile, Atlético didn’t waver in the slightest from their mission. They were compact and showcased the solidity that now embodies their playing style. Los Rojiblancos grew into the game as it went on, dismantling Valencia’s defences one step at a time. Simeone made the right changes at the right times to win the encounter. Torres got off the mark again and Carrasco returned to action, with his ankle fully recovered and his excellent form seemingly unaffected. Barca are in flying form, as their trip to Eibar epitomised, but Atlético are not letting their heads drop. Their performance at Mestalla was that of a real team. A performance befitting a champion… that would be the case during any other era, without a Barcelona side like this one.