Visionary, did Athletico put together a Serie B team before it even fell?

Upon witnessing yet another defeat for Athletico no Brasileirão – this time for São Paulo, at Morumbi – I became aware of three situations. Let’s go to the first one.

• The unpredictability of football, even in duels between teams at very different levels, can always come to the surface

After conceding Luciano’s goal, I thought that the team led by Lucho González would start disorganized to attack and, consequently, would take a rout.

That’s not how the duel went. Even inferior, the visitors found the equalizer in a corner taken by Zapelli and supported by Julian. In fact, who would have thought that Julimar would become the team’s main striker in the centenary year? Symbolic.

Second point:

• Even with the equality on the scoreboard, at no point was it possible to believe that Rubro-Negro would score a point against sixth place.

That’s why André Silva’s goal, 44 minutes into the second half, didn’t surprise me. It was clear that it would happen. I imagine that Atletico fans are also vaccinated against this type of thing. AND already seen behind already seen.

But the last observation I consider the most important.

• Whoever plays to, at most, draw, doesn’t deserve to win – and Athletico doesn’t want to win since Lucho took on the thankless task of escaping the drop

The Argentine number 3 was an above average career player. At Furacão, even as a veteran, he made the difference in winning groups, especially with his high level of competition. He raised glasses, became an idol.

As a coach, I don’t blame him. I blame whoever put him in that tight skirt. Who didn’t hire reinforcements when they could have. Who put together this unbalanced squad that falls far short of athletic history.

Athletico had 22% possession of the ball this Saturday, the lowest rate in the club’s history according to the statistics website Sofascore. In other words, he gives up attacking, gives the ball to the opponent, and then regrets the result.

Athletico de Auturi/Lucho’s only victory happened in a totally bizarre context, with an expulsion 3 seconds into the game, against Cruzeiro.

To avoid relegation, you have to win games. There are six left. The next two, Atlético-MG and Atlético-GO, at the Ligga Arena, will define whether Athletico was so visionary as to put together a Serie B team before even falling.