By Bulldog Drummond
If we look at the recent matches of Atlético Madrid we find that their three defeats in the last ten games have all been away from home. The other two away games have resulted in one win (against Lokomotiv Moscow) and a draw with Real Madrid.
Overall this suggests that they are not that good away from home at the moment.
| Date | Comp | Home side | Away side | Score | Res |
| 22.04 | League | Atl. Madrid | Betis | 0 : 0 | D |
| 19.04 | League | Real Sociedad | Atl. Madrid | 3 : 0 | L |
| 15.04 | League | Atl. Madrid | Levante | 3 : 0 | W |
| 12.04 | Europa | Sporting | Atl. Madrid | 1 : 0 | L |
| 08.04 | League | Real Madrid | Atl. Madrid | 1 : 1 | D |
| 05.04 | Europa | Atl. Madrid | Sporting | 2 : 0 | W |
| 01.04 | League | Atl. Madrid | Dep. La Coruna | 1 : 0 | W |
| 18.03 | League | Villarreal | Atl. Madrid | 2 : 1 | L |
| 15.03 | Europa | Loko Moscow | Atl. Madrid | 1 : 5 | W |
| 11.03 | League | Atl. Madrid | Celta Vigo | 3 : 0 | W |
We should also note that the Lokomotiv Moscow result was a bit of an oddity. Madrid had already won 3-0 in the first leg and Lokomotiv had to go all out on attack through the game in order to try and overturn this. Unfortunately it left them open at the back and when Madrid scored on 16 minutes it meant that Lokomotiv were dead.
Lokomotiv are not an easy team to beat – they are after all top of the Russian league, and ahead by quite a few points (8 clear of CSKA) but I think they just were well beaten in the first leg, as CSKA were by Arsenal. As we saw in our match CSKA went all out on attack, but ultimately got exhausted.
Overall in the league this season, away from home, Atletico Madrid have not been quite so poor. This table shows away games only.
| Pos | Team | P | W | D | L | F/A | Pts |
| 1. | Barcelona | 17 | 11 | 6 | 0 | 38:11 | 39 |
| 2. | Real Madrid | 16 | 10 | 4 | 2 | 34:17 | 34 |
| 3. | Atl. Madrid | 17 | 9 | 4 | 4 | 26:14 | 31 |
| 4. | Valencia | 17 | 8 | 4 | 5 | 28:21 | 28 |
| 5. | Betis | 17 | 8 | 2 | 7 | 23:25 | 26 |
| 6. | Villarreal | 17 | 6 | 4 | 7 | 17:21 | 22 |
| 7. | Girona | 17 | 5 | 5 | 7 | 21:35 | 20 |
| 8. | Sevilla | 17 | 6 | 1 | 10 | 15:32 | 19 |
| 9. | Getafe | 17 | 4 | 6 | 7 | 14:20 | 18 |
| 10. | Eibar | 16 | 5 | 3 | 8 | 12:28 | 18 |
So three defeats and a draw in the last five games away from home is worse than normal. So it would seem reasonable for Arsenal to try and get a good lead in the game on Thursday, knowing that the opposition’s strength (and as we have seen in previous analyses, our weakness) is away from home.
Yet the leagues overall are fairly similar on the home/away divide. In each case only the top five or six have won more away from home than they have lost.
In England Arsenal are second in the home league table, but have played more games at home than their rivals.
| Pos | Team | P | W | D | L | GF | GA | GD | Pts |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Manchester City | 17 | 15 | 1 | 1 | 58 | 13 | 45 | 46 |
| 2 | Arsenal | 18 | 14 | 2 | 2 | 49 | 20 | 29 | 44 |
| 3 | Manchester United | 17 | 13 | 2 | 2 | 35 | 8 | 27 | 41 |
| 4 | Liverpool | 17 | 11 | 6 | 0 | 41 | 10 | 31 | 39 |
| 5 | Tottenham Hotspur | 16 | 10 | 4 | 2 | 32 | 12 | 20 | 34 |
There is quite a difference in goal scoring between the two – Arsenal have scored 49 at home to Atletico having scored 26 – only just over half of Arsenal’s achievement. But Arsenal have let in six goals more than Atletico away from home.
And sad to say Stuart Robson will be rubbing his hands in glee with Arsenal’s position in the injury table.
| # | TEAM | Men down | Last man down | What he done |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Watford | 9 | T Deeney | Foot |
| 2 | Arsenal | 6 | M Elneny | Ankle Injury |
| 3 | Burnley | 5 | G N’Koudou | Hamstring Injury |
| 4 | Everton | 5 | M Schneiderlin | Dead Leg |
| 5 | West Ham United | 5 | M Antonio | Hamstring Injury |
| 6 | Swansea City | 5 | F Fernandez | Knee Injury |
| 7 | Leicester City | 5 | S Okazaki | Ankle Injury |
| 8 | Crystal Palace | 4 | C Wickham | Groin Strain |
| 9 | Liverpool | 4 | A Oxlade-C | Knee Injury |
| 10 | West Bromwich Albion | 3 | N Chadli | Fitness |
Here is the list for Arsenal
| Player | What’s wrong | When back | Against At Mad? |
| M Elneny | Ankle Injury | No Return Date | No |
| M Ozil | Illness | April 26, 2018 | Slight Doubt |
| S Kolasinac | Ankle Injury | April 26, 2018 | Slight Doubt |
| J Wilshere | Ankle Injury | April 26, 2018 | Slight Doubt |
| H Mkhitaryan | MCL Knee Ligament Injury | April 29, 2018 | Major Doubt |
| S Cazorla | Plantaris Injury | No Return Date | No |
In some quarters it is being said that there is hope that Elneny will play again before the end of the season. Let’s hope so.
More anon.
Well researched article.This is a tough one for us, probably the hardest European team to play against and they will be up for it, let’s hope we are. If we can win the EL, what a brilliant way for Arsene Wenger to bow out.
Actually, it’s quite amazing how Atletico managed NOT to progress from their CL group.
They played Roma twice – 0-0 in Rome, 2-0 in Madrid.
They played Chelsea twice – 1-2 defeat in Madrid (a last minute goal by Batshuayi), 1-1 in London.
Not so bad given that Chelsea lost 3-0 in Rome and drew 3-3 at home with the Italians. If all three teams had same results against Qarabag, Atletico would have been second in the group, behind Roma and ahead of Chelsea.
The problem was, Atletico drew both of their games with Azeri side which were only two points for Qarabag.
Before that, Atletico had been stopped in Europe four times in a row by their fierce rivals Real. Two of those defeats were in the Champions League Final, one in the semifinal and one in the quarterfinal.
They are still well-positioned to get second place in Spain which is a big success given the duopoly of Barca and Real and how much money those two teams have spent comparing to Atletico.
Alexandre Lacazette was on their wish-list last summer as a possible replacement for Antoine Griezmann but the transfer ban helped us to get Laca instead and Griezmann rejected a move to Manchester United in order to help his club in those circumstances. (Mind you, release clauses are obligatory parts of players’ contracts in Spain so if Man United had paid the amount in the clause, Atletico wouldn’t have been able to prevent Griezmann from leaving.) They did sign a new striker from a Champions League club but their guy can play unlike Aubameyang. It’s notorious prick Diego Costa, their former player who has a pretty good record against us. His hamstring injury might stop him from scoring a goal or two though.
I have watched their game against Sporting in Madrid and it was far from a one-sided affair as the final score (2-0) might suggest. Sporting made both goals for Atletico strikers (experienced defenders Coates and Mathieu gave away goals) while on the other side of the pitch, only brilliance of Oblak and preposterous profligacy from Sporting strikers kept Atletico’s net intact.
A few notes to our players:
-Mustafi must keep his brain farts at home and keep focus until the Atletico bus leaves the stadium,
-our midfielders must avoid losing the ball in the dangerous area to prevent deadly counter-attacks,
-our strikers must shoot as sharp as possible – Oblak is arguably the best or the second best goalkeeper in the world and we have seen how brilliant goalkeeper can stop dozen of shots if they are not taken well (De Gea in our 3-1 defeat to United),
-we can’t afford to concede first/to miss too many chances. Atletico concede very few goals at home even against Messi, Ronaldo et al,
-don’t get tricked by their draw against Betis – Atletico played with a combined team resting Griezmann for the game against us.
COYG, let’s check our cards for Lyon!
Should be pretty much a full house at the Ems tomorrow night. I’m away for a week and my seat was taken within a half hour of me putting it on Ticket Exchange this morning!
Hopefully I’ll be able to catch some of it on the Emerald Sun our base for the next week going up the Rhine from Amsterdam to Basel
OT – Ive just had a look at the “Feud” and Im not sure what you guys thought, but I felt that (like its unnecessary, and basic visuals) it didn’t really cover things properly, it didn’t show the right stats at the right time, and still got lots out of context (ie titles won by SAF before AW came). It didn’t capture the atmos of the time. It did show how things change pretty well, and how utterly ruthless SAF was some of his victories seemed a bit hollow? The rules are what actually keep the delusion alive, breaking the rules means that delusion is broken and absurdity creeps in. WTF is the point of playing against a stacked system? People ignore how much is actually about in-play, and not just the end result. Otherwise why go or watch?
There was no pre and after contexts, including how shite Man U were before the PL ( Liverpool were still the major team) and what Arsenal were really like from 80-95.Im not sure how many of the Wob were there, but despite the cups GG got it was still pretty rum. Yes moments, but Hunter 13 has the contexts right imo, of what AW did- regardless of whether he should be going or not. And personally I get H13s point of views. Why should it just be the Wob saying what they want unopposed?
Scholes as a victim of AFC seemed a bit cheeky really. As for the pizza throwing being a disgrace, what a joke! Game fifty is the most disgraceful moment in my 40 years. All our doghsit years, losing to Oxford and York, and the crappy Lge Cup final v Luton aggro and the end of the Neil years through the boring Grahamball and scraping the Cups, (and they were mostly scrapes), has almost no pain compared to that night. They won, but how? I wonder what VAR would have shown? Its so disgusting that it was a disgrace to the game, and still is. That no monumental occasion for them.
Of course what was right was the docu went as far as it could without stating what it wanted, and people basically admitted what ManUre were up to.
My thought was what’s worse, them big money bags teams or the ManUre tricky ways? What would Brian Clough ( before he was a bit too far gone) have had to say to SAF’s sides from the period before the stadium move?
In the end it was like a docu for people who weren’t there or didn’t follow football at that time, but bits of it were okish,I baulked a bit at seeing AFTV at the end.But the cat shall mew and the dog have its day.
SAF arrived at ManU 6 years prior to PL. One can sort of see the 2 years leading into the PL as being a continuation of the PL performance.
The transition ManU made, was while SAF was at ManU. But, look at the flipside. Look at SAFs record prior to ManU. What is there in SAFs history, to suggest that he would change ManU so much?
Love it:
Bale unused, looks like Real will use him as makeweight for De Gea, which see’s Oblak head to Real, should Barcelona not fancy him, bit pricey, but should United opt to take Ter Stegen, with Tibault looking to return to Madrid.
But looks like Zidane has decided.
It’s the bcorrect call, they need De Gea, with CR7 up front. Hazard and De Gea with Toby of Spurs would Meade wages and fill 3 key areas. Leaving plenty for RWF, CM and DM, Dybala would be my option at 9.
Nice transition Zizu!
Robbed looks done, with Bayern trailing, to 2 away goals.
Elsewhere my friend that b***h Karma, wipes out mouthy defector Oxlade-C! Danny get in, Zaha should travel.
I can’t see Reds beating Real in the final.
Marcelo nwilln be kept honest, but left backs, he is the kind to note, relish and rise not Tony then task.
A fit Ramos handles Fiminio, and high intensity pressing in the final = free kicks, bad idea.
CR7 letting Liverpool have a final, ha, I have to see it, that guy is Fergie enthused winning machine, plus it’s all they have and possibly Zizu’s job and no they’are tight!
They nwouldnt have beat Barca and I can’t see it.
How mid love Kimmich.
However strong Atletico Madrid are, Arsenal just have to beat them well by all possible means. Say, by 4 goals to nil home win to the Gunners at the Ems tomorrow night in the 1st leg match so as to allow Arsenal have a good chance of knocking out Atletico from the Europa over the 2 legged match encounter with the 2nd leg match coming up in 8 days time at Vicente Caldrone Stadium.
Besides, with the recent upheavals at Arsenal in recent past few days which culminated to Le Boss being ushered out of Arsenal against schedule, I would think Arsenal are the ones who look to need to win the Europe League Cup this season more than Atletico Madrid do. So that Arsenal will save their season from going Title less win this season and avoid not to qualify for the CL campaign next season but still hang on to play in the Europa League next season if it does boil down to that which won’t be bad after all. For, half a loaf of bread is better than none at all.
My thoughtful 4-2-3-1 Arsenal starts and 7 on the bench Gunners for the match are below.
Starts:
—————————Ospina—————————
Holding—-Koscielny—-Mustafi—-Monreal
Bellerin————————————-Kolasinac
——————–Wilshere-Xhaka——————–
Ramsey————–Oezil—————-Welbeck
————————-Lacazette————————
Bench:
Cech Bfg Chambers Maitland Nelson Willock Nketiah.
Good luck to Arsenal.
Josif, release clause doesn’t obligate the player in any way
so “Griezmann rejected a move to Manchester United in order to help his club in those circumstances. (Mind you, release clauses are obligatory parts of players’ contracts in Spain so if Man United had paid the amount in the clause, Atletico wouldn’t have been able to prevent Griezmann from leaving.) ” is quite a strange thing to read in otherwise well done post
Kenneth, i didn’t watch it myself but people on PositiveArsenal would agree with you
either way i do wonder how they were able to stitch it up so quick
on a related note, take a look at https://twitter.com/MrArsenicTM/status/989266470701060096 and you would learn everything about modern day journalism
@OlegYch
I thought it was clear that I meant: if Griezmann decided to accept a call from Man U (he is a close friend of Pogba and had rated his chances to join United with 6/10 before Atletico got the transfer ban), Atletico wouldn’t have been able to stop it as he has a release clause in his contract. That says a lot about the power of players in Spain where every player has to have a minimum fee release clause in his contract. On the other hand, as I’ve been informed, that sort of clauses are forbidden in France. Another example of how FIFA left too much space for the grey area.