What's happened to my Atleti?
Outsmarted, outplayed
Such a shame! The Vicente Calderón didn't deserve such a sad farewell to the league derbies like the one we witnessed last night - by far the worst game of the Simeone era... in the tactical contest, Zidane beat him hands down right from the first minute. Atlético's players were never in the game and found themselves at the mercy of their eternal rivals. And nor did they even summon the fabled rojiblanco pedigree, the sheer grit, dogged ambition, hunger or the quality football which have defined the five years Cholo Simeone has spent at the helm. No excuses will suffice, and more than one need an examination of conscience. This is not the Atlético which was wowing the rest of Europe just a short while ago. The worst part is that there hasn't been a reaction after the fiascos against Sevilla and Real Sociedad. The technical staff have now got their work cut out to try and find out what is happening to the team.
Negative spiral
And that wasn't enough, PSV visit the Calderón on Wednesday in the Champions League. Right now, morale is at rock bottom because the way the team is losing is something I have never seen in my 59 years as an Atleti fan. The depth of the negativity the team is immersed in is startling, and now is the moment when someone has to bang a fist on the table and shake them out of this downward spiral. Ok, winning LaLiga has always been a pipe dream, but there is still a chance to triumph in Europe and battle for the Copa del Rey. In any case, the Vicente Calderón now has a black mark against its history. These are slip-ups which are hard to forget. We allowed Madrid to trample all over us and were only spared more damage by their leniency. This isn't my Atlético 'Cholista', someone is changing it.