Full Time. Athletic Club Bilbao vs Atletico 3-0

by Arquitecto Sun Jan 27, 2013 10:07 pm

So Falcatletico got taught a lesson in football by a resurging Athletic Club.

Quite frankly, it was almost laughable to see Atletico without Falcao as I would like to address the point on how "Falcao is just a cog in Atletico's wheel" or how they can play just as well without him.

Looked absolutely toothless without Falcao and created little to no threat while Laporte and San Jose just laughed off their attack.

Atletico completely outplayed this game. Ander was pure and simple, outstanding. Created several chances, split their defence wide open again and again, weaved through the pressing Atletico defence like butter. Absolutely spotless in his passing today and made Atletico tick. Muniain was another who drifted left right and centre and was unplayable.

Aurtunexte is the best young Spanish LB without a doubt and certainly better then Alba. Iraola being ignored for all too long now while young Basque/French 18 year old Ayermic Laporte is definitely up there with Rafa Varane in talent and competition for France's CB line in the future.

San Mames was back its best as Atletico just couldn't face the onslaught of attack coming from Athletic who was driven.

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by CBarca Mon Jan 28, 2013 2:05 am

Athletic Club Bilbao :bow:

by windkick Mon Jan 28, 2013 2:16 am

Helped made the league easier for us getting Atletico off our tracks banana

by The Franchise Mon Jan 28, 2013 10:21 am

Atletico really struggling away, while at home they are flawless.

Got to think that in the end will cost them 2nd place.

by worms Mon Jan 28, 2013 11:03 am

Judging Atletico on 1 game? Nice logic bro.

Atletico are nowhere near been a one man team.I smell severe butthurtness after that night in May.

Brb I am going to re watch the Europa League final when they humiliated you in the biggest game your club has had in decades. Cool

So many beautiful memories Proud

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by worms Mon Jan 28, 2013 11:12 am

"Aurtunexte is the best young Spanish LB without a doubt and certainly better then Alba."

LOL.

by Highburied Mon Jan 28, 2013 12:23 pm

worms wrote:"Aurtunexte is the best young Spanish LB without a doubt and certainly better then Alba."

LOL.

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by Arquitecto Mon Jan 28, 2013 12:24 pm

worms wrote:"Aurtunexte is the best young Spanish LB without a doubt and certainly better then Alba."

LOL.

How is that game even relevant to this one? Did I even mention the EL final?

So apparently you supported Athletic last year Laughing

And please don't kid yourself about Atletico without Falcao as without them they look as dangerous as a blunt butter knife. Even the final itself was won by Falcao who finished the game with his early brace. Made the difference for them countless times last year in all the important games. If you think Atletico do not rely heavily on Falcao then thats just plain silly.

This thread was meant to analyse this game and not their past results. Why skew my words?

As for Alba vs Aurtunexte, Alba has been exposed countlessly for the defensively inept chicken he is. Ask you fellow Barca fans. Aurtunexte is two years younger and has marked out top wingers, twice as good defensively and although not as adept in attack he can at least cross and use his right foot unlike Alba. Not even worth arguing

by worms Mon Jan 28, 2013 12:30 pm

It is relevant because you come off as bitter when you start throwing around illogical accusations that Atletico are a one man team.

Anyone who watches them knows that the idea of Atletico in anyway resembling a one man team is utter bullshit.

The only reason I can think you would have something against them is because of that one night in May.

Sorry if I am wrong but it appears that way.You are either incredibly biased against them or you are knee jerking off one game,one things for sure you haven't consistently watched them over the last year as a neutral.

As for your last message I stopped reading here:

"Even the final itself was won by Falcao"

Wrong.It was won by Atletico owning you all over the pitch.Including in the dugout were Simeone outsmarted Bielsa.

Just look at the league table mate.And gaze at the epic gap between the two teams. Thumbs up

by Arquitecto Mon Jan 28, 2013 12:35 pm

worms wrote:It is relevant because you come off as bitter when you start throwing around illogical accusations that Atletico are a one man team.

Anyone who watches them knows that the idea of Atletico in anyway resembling a one man team is utter bullshit.

The only reason I can think you would have something against them is because of that one night in May.

Sorry if I am wrong.

I don't have much against Atletico to be honest as that would be more towards Madrid.

The reason this came up is all this (closet) Atletico fans here saying Atletico are just the same if not better without Falcao and even going as far to depreciate his game to make Simeone and Atletico look better.

I digress as I have seen Falcao bail them out too many times along with their front attack look near impotent without him.

Never said one man team but they are heavily reliant on his goal scoring instinct up front.

And yes despite not supporting the club itself the 3-0 loss was quite upsetting for Basque football since we don't know how to take a loss (hence Iker crying like a boy) as it feels better to destroy the same team that outplayed Athletic in the final.

by worms Mon Jan 28, 2013 12:38 pm

Obviously they are going to be better with Falcao,but they are still the same team.Just less deadly.They play the same way with or without him,they still normally dominated games without him.

Diego Costa and Adrian aren't exactly scrubs.Both are very good players who provide something different from Falcao.

by Arquitecto Mon Jan 28, 2013 12:42 pm

worms wrote:Obviously they are going to be better with Falcao,but they are still the same team.Just less deadly.They play the same way with or without him,they still normally dominated games without him.

Diego Costa and Adrian aren't exactly scrubs.Both are very good players who provide something different from Falcao.

It comes to show they need a similar player to Falcao with those in box weaving through the channels and predatory instincts since Simeone tends to build around those kind of strikers as evidenced in Catania. Costa unfortunately is quite an average striker and can do much on a consistent basis. Adrian I rate highly but he is better of playing behind a striker in a supporting role like he did last year.

Atletico need a solid back up to Falcao with similar characteristics who can also hold the ball. Someone like Damiao or Gomez would suffice.

by worms Mon Jan 28, 2013 12:49 pm

"Costa unfortunately is quite an average striker"

Laughable.

I could have sworn only a few weeks ago this guy scored a hat trick,yet you say they are blunt without Falcao.And you say they need someone else who can hold the ball up when Costa is better than Falcao at this.This guy is only 24 and is a physical beast,he's fast,strong and mobile with nice technique,he is going to be one of the best strikers in La Liga over the next 5 years.

Plus their midfielders chip in with goals,they are a excellent team and far from this one man team you paint them to be.They don't rely on Falcao,he merely makes them better.

by The Franchise Mon Jan 28, 2013 12:54 pm

Europa league final? This is a new season, aint nobody care about that. Pretty sure noone was thinking of that last night.

Atletico got their ass handed to them, end of story. Without Falcao they are toothless by comparison, no shame in that, hes a great great player. Simone would probably admit that himself if the rest of the team never got to hear it.

One player never makes a team but its only logical when you dont have someone you rely on of his quality you are going to struggle somewhat.

But I see the point of this thread as a heads up to those few fans who like to take subtle digs at Falcao for his apperent non-impact throughout the game.

Too many people caught up in what he does throughout the game, he is a penalty box striker, thats what he does. Score goals in the penalty box.

Aslong as he isnt giving the ball away outside it and keeps things flowing, to me that great.

by Arquitecto Mon Jan 28, 2013 12:59 pm

worms wrote:"Costa unfortunately is quite an average striker"

Laughable.

I could have sworn only a few weeks ago this guy scored a hat trick,yet you say they are blunt without Falcao.And you say they need someone else who can hold the ball up when Costa is better than Falcao at this.This guy is only 24 and is a physical beast,he's fast,strong and mobile with nice technique,he is going to be one of the best strikers in La Liga over the next 5 years.

Plus their midfielders chip in with goals,they are a excellent team and far from this one man team you paint them to be.They don't rely on Falcao,he merely makes them better.

Please. I can name loads of average strikers who score their hatricks yet disappear the next game.

Right now he has an average return of 7 from 18 games and one of them was a hatrick.

Last year at Rayo was his only decent year. I don't even want to speak about 1-2 years before that where he should nothing but inconsistency and being out of his depth vs superior teams. He can have all the technique he wants but the fact is he does not perform on a regular basis along with even looking remotely close to scoring.

Again, I did not say they are a 'one man' team but a team who relies heavily on to him as evidenced by their poor performances without him, along with him scoring the bulk of their goals. Falcao last year scored 37 out of the 53 goals scored which says it all. This year he has 22 of their 40 goals scored. Another intriguing stat.

If they don't rely on Falcao then that is the height of delusion.

by BarrileteCosmico Mon Jan 28, 2013 1:30 pm

I didn't watch the game but the Marca match report says it was 4-2-3-1. If true: Bielsa going back to what works :bow:

by Arquitecto Mon Jan 28, 2013 1:39 pm

BarrileteCosmico wrote:I didn't watch the game but the Marca match report says it was 4-2-3-1. If true: Bielsa going back to what works

Yep, heres how it lined up:

Iraola-Ekiza-Laporte-Aurtunexte

-De Marcos-San Jose-
-Susaeta-Ander-Munain
Aduriz

A far cry from what all Bilbai's have said about the god damn 4-3-3 which burnt the players out and resulted in the embarrassment in the two finals last year.

But...knowing Bielsa he'll switch once again with 4-3-3-, 3-4-3 and 3-3-1-3. Don't expect this to stay.

by worms Mon Jan 28, 2013 1:43 pm

A lot of them are sub appearaneces for Diego Costa,it's really not a bad record and this season he all round game has been excellant so this season he is having a good season as well.2 seasons ago he was only 22 years old,think about it.How good was Drogba when he was 22? or 24? I do,he was at 2nd division Le Mans were he scored 12 times in 64 games. Diego Costa is better than Drogba was at that age and they are similar players.Drogba was never a great goalscorer just look at his record,he was a player with a excellant all round game and was one of those rare athletes who was big,strong,fast and agile.Exactly like Diego Costa is.If Diego Costa continues to combine those qualities with that goal record then he will continue to be a very good player.

And I have not seen his assist stats but if I were to guess I would say he has a fair amount of assists for a forward.Just 2 weeks a go he turned a Mallorca defender with a nice piece of skill and agility that left the defender on his back side and blasted a shot at the keeper which the GK saved and it rebounded to Raul Garcia who tapped it in.That wouldn't have been classed as a assist but he made that goal.

"If they don't rely on Falcao then that is the height of delusion."

They rely just as much on their defense and organization.Zero goals conceded in their last 10 home games.They rely on players like Arda Turan and Gabi etc as well.Just look how strong their squad is,the only position without sufficient cover is CB.

by Le Samourai Mon Jan 28, 2013 2:42 pm

Ander is a joy to watch when he isn't injured or getting himself sent off. Dude will put it on your foot from anywhere on the pitch, De Marcos and Aduriz are his targets and therefore 90 % of it goes to waste.

The Falcao discussion... He was not making a difference here. He's not making their midfield or defense better, he's not going to provide service for himself. Just seems random. Diego Costa put in good work. He set up two good chances for Felipe and Emre.

How many games will he miss?

by worms Mon Jan 28, 2013 3:49 pm

Falcaos out for about 3 weeks time.

I missed this game so I will watch the 30 minutes highlights of it on Sky later.

by worms Mon Jan 28, 2013 5:30 pm

I just watched the highlights,the commentator said that Aduriz has scored a higher percentage of Bilbaos goals in La Liga than Falcao has this season.

So according to your logic Athletic rely on Aduriz?

Looked like you played a good game anyway,created lots of chances,I don't rate Cata Diaz.Ideally Atletico could do with a better back up CB than him,he looks too slow to me and not the tallest either.

Athletico still come very close to scoring 3 times though and were still in the game until the 75th minute when you hit them on the break twice.Diego Costa set up two chances,can't blame him for not having any chances himself as he didn't get any service.

by Arquitecto Mon Jan 28, 2013 6:23 pm

worms wrote:I just watched the highlights,the commentator said that Aduriz has scored a higher percentage of Bilbaos goals in La Liga than Falcao has this season.

So according to your logic Athletic rely on Aduriz?

Looked like you played a good game anyway,created lots of chances,I don't rate Cata Diaz.Ideally Atletico could do with a better back up CB than him,he looks too slow to me and not the tallest either.

Athletico still come very close to scoring 3 times though and were still in the game until the 75th minute when you hit them on the break twice.Diego Costa set up two chances,can't blame him for not having any chances himself as he didn't get any service.

Yes.

Athletic have indeed relied on Aduriz. Just like they have relied on Llorente to bail them out year after year after year. Athletic historically are known to dominate, create chances but can't finish to save their lives. Aduriz has done a tremendous job.

Simeone has an excellent set-up defensively for Atletico yet the team needs more depth to compete as Godin's occasional error's don't help.

The game wasn't domination as that's exaggeration by me. Before the 50 minute Athletic were the better team but Atletico put up a serious fight and looked to threaten on the counter many times.
After the first goal though, the game was completely in Athletic's favour.

I don't blame Costa as he is a good player, but for the bar they have set by their results and standings, they cannot rely on him as they have for Falcao who has helped take them into the upper echelons of Spanish football in potentially Europe.

by worms Tue Jan 29, 2013 11:34 am

Just watching that Europa League final again and Aurtunexte's positioning for Falcaos first goal was absolutely shocking.Had the opportunity to double up on Falcao with Amorebieta but instead he ran past him into the box and stood there marking nobody.If he pressured Falcao like he should have done he they would have either dispossessed Falcao of the ball or forced Falcao to run towards the corner flag as he had no options to pass too.

Be honest with yourself if Alba was Basque you would have him in your team any day.Aurtunexte is average going forward,Alba brings an extra dimension to any team.

Amorebieta was an absolute clown in this final by the way,cheaply giving the ball away, constantly playing long balls when he should have passed it out from the back and he doesn't know how to defend.

by Arquitecto Tue Jan 29, 2013 3:35 pm

worms wrote:Just watching that Europa League final again and Aurtunexte's positioning for Falcaos first goal was absolutely shocking.Had the opportunity to double up on Falcao with Amorebieta but instead he ran past him into the box and stood there marking nobody.If he pressured Falcao like he should have done he they would have either dispossessed Falcao of the ball or forced Falcao to run towards the corner flag as he had no options to pass too.

Be honest with yourself if Alba was Basque you would have him in your team any day.Aurtunexte is average going forward,Alba brings an extra dimension to any team.

Amorebieta was an absolute clown in this final by the way,cheaply giving the ball away, constantly playing long balls when he should have passed it out from the back and he doesn't know how to defend.

Mate you've got to be pretty daft to judge a player by one game, and a game in which everyone had a bad game bar maybe Muniain. As I said more then half of the players were burnt out from Bielsa's antics along with Athletic being hilariously out of form as a team and individually during that time period. Judging a player by a ONE game and which he was burnt out is just plain silly :facepalm:

You talk about Alba yet I can bring dozen games where he performed far far worse then Aurtunexte in that game. I don't even have to speak about Barca since he has defensively been below average. Valencia? Highly inconsistent and exposed defensively there time and time again.

To also say Aurtunexte is average offensively is also laughable considering he was converted into a wing back in Bielsa's 3-4-3/3-5-2 and had some fantastic performances throughout the season there. No point comparing defensively since he is miles better then Alba in that aspect. Arguing that is just silly. Keep trying to convince me you watched Athletic on a regular basis.

Amorebieta? How is that relevant? Since the month of March he was an absolute clown yet that doesn't take away from his excellent performances earlier in the season and single-handedly holding the back line at times.

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