Pablo Barrios Leads Atlético's Improvement, Faces Decisive Match Against Botafogo

The spirited Seattle Sounders are not quite the shadow of PSG, yet the attitude of Atlético was markedly different from their first match in the Club World Cup. Led by Pablo Barrios, who was omnipresent and scored his first brace, Simeone's team showed personality, courage, speed, ambition, dominance, and created numerous chances, unlike the timid and slow team that appeared in their debut against the powerful European champions.

The much more bearable temperature compared to Los Angeles allowed for more running without exhaustion, but it was primarily a matter of necessity. Anything less than a victory against this worthy MLS representative would have left Atlético virtually eliminated at the first hurdle. This would have been an economic and sporting failure, especially considering that in future editions of this tournament, it is more likely that Barça will accompany Real Madrid.

Simeone contributed to this improvement by making three changes, one per line. Giménez played instead of the suspended Lenglet in the heart of the defense, Koke replaced Lino, and most importantly, Sorloth was the striker while Griezmann remained on the bench. Although the Norwegian missed two glaring chances early on, with him on the field, Atlético had a reference point that pinned the central defenders.

The changes in personnel also brought about a change in formation, with a 4-3-3 that Cholo does not frequently employ. De Paul, Koke, and Barrios formed the midfield trio, which allowed for better defensive balance, at least through the middle, and facilitated better ball movement and connection with the attack, which this time featured Giuliano on the right wing, Sorloth as the striker, and Julián starting from the left flank.

Only the lack of precision and finishing from Atlético allowed the Seattle franchise, owned by a Hollywood film industry magnate, to survive the first quarter of an hour. Pablo Barrios scored a stunning goal from the edge of the box, proving to be the best on the field with his versatility and ability to break lines, but both La Araña and especially Sorloth missed the unmissable.

The Argentine did everything right but opened his foot too much on the final shot, causing the ball to veer off target. The Nordic striker, who had already squandered a chance against PSG with an open goal, missed two incredible opportunities. In one, he controlled with his chest but got too much on the ball when shooting from close range, and in the other, he received a brilliant pass from Julián, positioned his body well, made a great cut, but struck it against Frei, the veteran 39-year-old goalkeeper.

After that promising start, Atlético suffered a few minutes of disarray during which the Americans grew and threatened to equalize. The match was very open, too open, which did not suit Atlético, who once again were frustrated with the on-field referee and the VAR officials, in this case, compatriots of Cholo. This frustration followed a run by Giuliano that ended in an apparently clear penalty, as the hold began outside the area but the fall ended inside, yet it all came to nothing after the technology review. The Madrid team was baffled.

The match resumed at full speed. Witsel came on for Giménez, who may have been injured, and the Belgian quickly scored the second. It was a set-piece action that ended with a tremendous shot from Llorente. The goalkeeper deflected it onto the crossbar, and then Le Normand gifted Witsel perhaps his last goal for Atlético.

Everything seemed settled, with only the question of whether Atlético could achieve the desired goal difference in case of potential ties on points, but a lapse and lack of decisiveness from Le Normand in clearing allowed Slovakian Rusnak to reduce the deficit. A serious problem because the North Americans are in the middle of their season and their physical condition is much better.

Fortunately, Barrios soon restored order with a subtle finish with the inside of his foot before Julián crafted a masterful volley that nearly punctured the ball as it crashed against the crossbar. From there, with a carousel of substitutions, including Griezmann for Sorloth, the match gradually lost intensity. It was not evident that Atlético has much more depth and quality on the bench than Seattle, and luckily for Atlético, they did not face a tense finish because Ferreira's goal was disallowed for a clear offside.