October 03, (THEWILL) – AAtletico Madrid moved joint top of La Liga on points with a 2-0 win over Barcelona, with Luis Suarez scoring against his former club in the Sunday night matchday eight fixture at the Estadio Wanda Metropolitano.
After losing to Benfica in the Champions League, there was speculation that Koeman would be fired if he lost again in the Spanish capital, and this result will not help the Dutchman’s case even though club president, Joan Laporta, had stated that the Dutch manager will not be fired anytime soon as the club had faith in the manager’s ability to turn things around.
After 23 minutes, a passing move involving Joao Felix and Suarez released Thomas Lemar in behind the defense and he finished past Marc-Andre ter Stegen. Soon after, Suarez missed a golden opportunity to make it two, putting a finish past the far post when he should have found the back of the net.
But, the Uruguayan made amends by scoring just before halftime, taking his time to pick his spot after excellent combination play by Felix and Lemar down the left wing on the quick counterattack, with Lemar providing the assist.
Ansu Fati came off the bench with 25 minutes remaining before Antoine Griezmann was introduced to face his former club, but the game’s dynamic remained unchanged as Atletico Madrid cruised to a comfortable victory.
What became obvious in the way Atletico won, was that Diego Simeone’s side used the match to highlight their status as one of, if not the best team in La Liga at the moment.
The defending champions have some of the best players, the deepest squad, a tactically astute manager, the most technologically advanced stadium and it can be claimed that the balance of power in the Spanish game has shifted, especially in the post-Messi era.
This exemplifies the new sporting landscape in the Spanish top flight. Based on this performance, Atletico could easily defend their Spanish title and aim for European glory once again.
About the Author
Jude Obafemi is a versatile senior Correspondent at THEWILL Newspapers, excelling in sourcing, researching, and delivering sports news stories for both print and digital publications.
