Atlético de Madrid achieved a very convincing victory against a Valencia that arrived at the Metropolitano as bottom of the league. Simeone made some changes to his starting line-up with respect to the victory against Athletic Club, giving them new opportunities. Although the goal was a long time coming, the red-and-whites took the lead before the break and finished off the victory in the second half.
One of the main protagonists was Conor Gallagher , who earned his second consecutive start after playing in Bilbao . The English international had not had any role for his national team during the September break, arriving well rested. He was chosen by Simeone in the first game that Pablo Barrios missed due to injury, opening the doors to the competition.
The MVP
In such a convincing victory it is very difficult to choose the best Atlético de Madrid player, but the former Chelsea player once again stepped up. Conor Gallagher came out as a starter in midfield with the aim of showing Simeone that he can be Pablo Barrios ' replacement. The Atlético youth player was one of the best players for the Colchoneros , with his injury being a dilemma at the Metropolitano.
Conor Gallagher showed all his physical power in a match where he could have opened his personal account after scoring the first goal for the home team. The Englishman took advantage of a great assist from Rodrigo de Paul to celebrate his first goal with the Atlético de Madrid shirt. The fans chanted his name again and he knows that he will have a golden opportunity to gain more prominence while Pablo Barrios returns to the pitch.
The surprise
A very important fact about the start of the season is that the red-and-white team has kept a clean sheet for four consecutive matches. One of the main reasons for this achievement is the great level of Josema Giménez , who seems to have improved his performance after the arrival of Robin Le Normand . The Uruguayan has remained undisputed in the back line, needing to find consistency in the physical aspect to be able to always be just as important.
Needs improvement
The only negative note that could be drawn from yesterday's match has to do with Alexander Sorloth , who wasted several clear chances. It is true that the striker already made his debut as a goalscorer in the match against Villarreal , but he has not yet fine-tuned his aim at the start of the season. In the last three games, he has had several opportunities to increase his personal tally, but he needs to rediscover his goal-scoring instinct.
Simeone's game
The Argentine coach knows that he faces a very demanding month , facing a large number of matches and having very little rest. For this reason, he needs the entire squad to be 100%, having the possibility of rotating between the different matches. Yesterday, he gave Julián Alvarez a rest, who played two matches with Argentina during the break and has already played more than 1000 minutes this season.
He also wanted to give the less usual players an exit during the second half, such as Giuliano Simeone and Ángel Correa . In the next month, Simeone and his players must face four very difficult away games and the Madrid derby against Real Madrid. All of this with the firm objective of reaching the month of October in the top part of the table and with the qualification for the Champions League on track.