Diego Simeone’s Atlético Madrid continued their quest to secure the lucrative third spot in La Liga, distancing themselves from the fourth-placed Valencia after winning 1-0 away from home to Villarreal. In contrast, Villarreal’s failure to snap its eight match winless streak has now pushed the club to the last remaining Europa League spot.
Diego Simeone made four changes to the team that beat Elche 3-0 on Saturday, with Mario Mandžukić, Arda Turan, Miranda and Juanfran replacing Fernando Torres, Raúl García, José Giménez and the injured Guilherme Siqueira.
In the first half, it was the struggling Villareal who looked more likely to score, with Atlético preferring to play on the counter attack. Villarreal’s Arsenal loanee Joel Campbell looked dangerous on the left side, with the Costa Rican player unleashing an shot that was unfortunate to take a deflection and narrowly miss goal, much to the delight of Atlético custodian Jan Oblak. However, moments before Simeone’s men had their own chance inside the box, with Mandžukić playing Antoine Griezmann on goal wonderfully, only for the Frenchman to be felled from a challenge that was ignored by the referee.
It was Koke who had the visiting side’s best chance of the game, catching a Mandžukić ball on the volley, but the shot was not enough to open the scoring.
A foul on the lively Campbell close to the corner flag gave Villarreal an opportunity to take the lead. A delivery from Antonio Rukavina found the head of Víctor Ruiz, but was saved superbly by Oblak. However, a follow-up shot from Gerard Moreno required a goal line clearance from Diego Godín to keep the score line level.
Atlético still couldn’t find a way past Villarreal’s defence, and Diego Simeone made the call to substitute on Torres and Saúl for Mandžukić and Turan.
The Yellow Submarine continued to control possession, with an effort by Moisés Gómez blocked by the defensively solid Godin.
Ultimately, it was Eric Bailly’s costly mistake in defence that would decide the match. The Ivorian player’s wayward pass backwards to goalkeeper Sergio Asenjo was pounced on by a lurking Torres, who produced a clever finish to put Atlético in the lead in the 73rd minute.
Another mistake by Bailly nearly gifted Griezmann his 23rd goal of the season in the closing stages, but was denied by a desperate Asenjo. It would prove to be a brave action by the 25-year-old gloveman, who appears to have injured himself after landing awkwardly from his save. This only further dampened an unlucky night for Villarreal, with the club’s performance deserving of more than another loss.
Simeone’s counter attacking philosophy will not work against Barcelona
With a crucial match against Barcelona coming up later in May, Atlético may face a stern challenge in their fight for third place if results don’t fall their way. Barcelona’s 6-0 hammering of Getafe midweek sends a warning to Simeone, who will have to find a way to shut down the formidable forward line of Lionel Messi, Luis Suárez and Neymar. With each player finding devastating form at a crucial stage in the season, the match against Villarreal has only reinforced that Atlético should not sit back and wait for a chance to open up. Home side Villarreal will regret not salvaging a draw against Atlético, particularly considering Campbell’s menacing presence in the front third, and the numerous chances the team had throughout the match.
Fernando Torres proving his value to Atlético
Having no future with AC Milan and harbouring a desire to remain with his childhood club, Torres must prove his worth and value to Atlético if he wants his loan move to be made permanent. His loan expires at the end of next season, and the onus will be on the ageing Torres to have more moments like the match against Villarreal to prove to Simeone that he deserves a long-term place in his team.
With youngster Raul Jimenez waiting for his chance to impress, Torres must continue to show that he has the ability to add goals to his name. The 31-year-old has scored six goals since his return to Atlético, two apiece against Real Madrid and Barcelona. Some may suggest this is a decent return for a player who has not started all games, but with high wages and age against him, Torres will take every chance to impress and ensure he stays past his loan deal.
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Oblak now undisputed first team goalkeeper
Jan Oblak was originally brought in as the replacement for Thibaut Courtois, but poor performance and an injury resulted in Miguel Ángel Moyà claiming the place of number one goalkeeper. When the tables reversed and Moyà was the one to suffer an injury, Oblak stepped up and has proven the quality and worth that brought him to the club.
With a string of exceptional saves against Real Madrid in the Champions League and during his La Liga appearances against Elche and now Villarreal, Oblak has gone from strength to strength and kept Moyà confined to the bench. Atlético’s willingness to give youngsters a chance in goals has given the 22-year-old the opportunity to cement his place in the starting eleven for the long-term.
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