THE 19th OF March is Father’s Day in Spain. Ask any dad who supports Atletico de Madrid what he wants and it won’t surprise you. The fact that he was been asking for it since 1999, might.
The last time Atleti won a derby against Real Madrid was in the Santiago Bernabeu and the match ended 1-3. Ex Leeds striker Jimmy Floyd Hasselbaink scored a brace but Real would have the last laugh as Atleti ended up getting relegated as they were crowned European Champions for the seventh time.
The last time Atleti won in the Vicente Calderon was in 1998 when ex-Boro playmaker Juninho scored in a game that ended 3-1. Little did any of the Atleti faithful know that game would be the last time they would see their believed ‘Rojiblancos’ win against their northern city rivals for 13 years.
Ask a 12-year-old Atleti fan what it is like to win a derby game against Real Madrid and they simply won’t be able to answer you. Ask him how many keepers Atleti have used in those 12 years of derbies and he will struggle. Ask him who the top scorer for the last 20 games is and watch him cry. Yes, Woody Allen said it: to love is to suffer.
And against Real Madrid, Atleti fans suffer. Over 60 teams have beaten Real since the last time Atleti won in 1999 – a stat that some Real fans love to boast about. According to some, Real no longer see this as a derby, more a guaranteed some points. But, not all Real fans feel the same. For older fans this is still an important derby and only comes second to ‘El Clasico’. Some Real fans would love to see a competitive Atleti so the glory derbies of the past can return.
Yet most Real fans expect to be smiling when midnight strikes tonight and after 20 games unbeaten it is fair to say that they have a right to be a little smug.
So who is to blame for Atleti’s poor run? It would be easy to claim that Real have simply outplayed Atleti in the past 20 games. Or to even blame the refs. But, throw in some bad luck and low morale and you might get some sort of answer to Atleti’s woes.
At the moment there seems to be a cloud hanging over the team. One only hopes that they can draw inspiration from Tottenham Hotspur in England who found themselves with a similar run against London rivals, Arsenal. That was until last season when Spurs dented and stopped Arsenal’s title charge. This season they managed to beat the Gunners at home even though they were two nil down at half time.
Quique Sanchez Flores would do well to watch those games again.
Real know this won’t be a pushover and they don’t take these games easy. A quick glance at the red cards stats show that Real players really go out to win. Real hold that record too. They have 5 compared to Atleti’s 3. But, the most interesting stat lies with the goalkeepers. Atleti have used eight different keepers in the run of 20 without a win. Real have used one: Casillas. For all the talk about Raul and the other players it is San Iker, as he is known to many Spanish fans, that has been the thorn in the side for Atleti.
Predictions
So do Atleti have a chance? It is fair to say that it doesn’t look good but there is an expression in Spain ‘esto es Atleti’ (This is Atleti). Basically it means anything can happen, from the highs of last year when they won two cups to relegation in 2000. Atleti will hope to surprise Madrid and come into the game with no mid-week fixture. It is also fair to say that Atleti have no pressure.
Real are now back in the league as Barça dropped points last week. But, this season whenever Barça have dropped points, Real do so the week after. Even though they could only manage a draw against Almería, Atleti are now five games unbeaten. The team is motivated but these words have been said before. The Vicente Calderon will be waiting and the fans will create another great atmosphere. The only concerns the fans have is that will the players match their enthusiasm on the pitch?
Garreth Nunn is the co-founder and co-writer of the website www.madridatleticos.com and can be found on twitter at @madridatleticos. He will be doing a running commentary this week from the press box of the Vicente Calderon and afterwards of the press conferences.
All stats were provided by www.infoatleti.es
