The inevitable departure of Kun Agüero from the Vicente Calderón this summer, followed by Diego Forlán’s decision to move on soon after, must have sent shivers down the spine of many an Atlético Madrid fan, as they wondered where the goals would come from in the upcoming season. Well, the arrival of Falcao in august was precisely the rebound they needed to get over their heartbreak and move on.
However, El Tigre’s dream start was not to continue indefinitely, and since dazzling the Atleti faithful by scoring six times in his first four games, his marksmanship has deteriorated somewhat. Opposition defenders had started to identify him as the target man, and thus the team’s mini crisis began. The goals had dried up and there didn’t seem to be any remedy for it-who else but the overly depended upon Falcao could convert for los Colchoneros? Adrián López, of course.
Adrián was, until Falcoa’s entrance, Atlético’s trophy acquisition of the summer. Not exactly receiving the welcome his soon-to-be strike partner did (about 10,000 fans greeted the former Colombian star), the Asturian didn’t really hit the ground running.
Even prior to joining the Madrid outfit from Deportivo, many fans had their reservations about the striker. Not renowned for his prowess in front of goal, some saw him as a panic signing, not capable of solving their goal-scoring conundrum. And with cause too: the 23 year old was held partially culpable by many Dépor aficionados for the Galician club’s descent to La Segunda back in May, sighting his lacklustre firing ability up front as one of the reasons for being relegated: 38 starts and nine run outs as a substitute were repaid with a modest eight goal return.
However, an eye for goal has not eluded the player at international level, where he has always managed to shine, albeit at under age level. He started his Spanish career brightly at the 2007 Under-20 World Cup in Canada. This was back when La Roja didn’t expect to win major tournaments (like they and everyone else does now), and this time was to be no different as they went out to the Czech Republic on penalties. Nonetheless, Adrián bagged five goals during the competition and the received the Silver boot as a result-curiously being pipped to the gold by the man he would later replace, Agüero.
During the European Under-21 Championship earlier this year (yes, I know he was 23 then, but apparently you’re allowed have two older boys in the squad, probably to act as chaperones), he not only lifted the trophy but, this time round, managed to secure the Golden Boot award also: again finding the net five times.
The unrest he caused opposition defenders on the way to Spain’s coronation as champions caught the eye of Gregorio Manzano, the man chosen to replace Quique Sánchez at Atlético. The miner’s son was lured down to the Spanish capital in June, as process of rebuilding began.
Up until recently Alteti’s season had been dogged with problems on and off the field. The aforementioned reliance on Falcao, a very public bust-up between Manzano and Reyes, due to the latters dissatisfaction at not featuring regularly enough, and a general lack of cohesion between the players in the squad had done nothing to boost moral for Atleti. Not to mention the chants from certain sections of the support to sack the manager not just before Christmas, but Halloween!
Good thing then that the head coach is commonly referred to as El Profesor in the Spanish press, because of his hard headedness and man management skills . Reyes aside, at least the players seem to be on the manager’s side, as was witnessed in their post match reaction to the 3-0 drubbing they received at the hands of Bielsa’s Athletic Bilboa. Instead of shirking from their responsibilities and allowing the gaffer to take the flack, the team held up their hands individually on what was a woeful display.
That thrashing in San Mamés was just over a week ago but, just as a week is a long time in politics, so too is it in football. Since then Atleti has decisively beaten Zaragoza in the league and Udinese in the Europa League. And Adrián was on hand on both occasions to provide the goods, scoring braces in both games and generally showing all the promise he displayed during the Under-21 tournament.
So what happened to the supposedly goal shy forward to take the focus off his manager, Falcoa, and the rest of his teammates for that matter? Well, it’s quite simple really: now Manzano is employing a 4-4-2 or 4-3-1-2 formation, with Falcao and Adrían up top. Sitting behind them are players like Arda, Diego Costa, Gabi and Mario Suárez, who like to have the ball at their feet rather than running into channels.
By pushing Adrían further up the field, Manzano is now giving the number 7 more freedom to use his blistering pace to create opportunities, which Atlético has been craving for a while. Sitting off Falcao, the Asturian is acting as the missing link between midfield and the front line. While Falcao remains the target man, Adrían can use this to his advantage, as his tireless work rate will undoubtedly cause a great deal of defensive headaches.
The next test is away to Getafe in a local derby this Sunday. Only pulling off a draw in the same fixture last year, Atlético should be looking to take all three points from the Coliseum this time of asking, as El Geta finds itself dead bottom of the table.
Regardless of who the opponents are one thing is for sure, with Adrían working the flanks and running at the back four supported by the quality of Falcao, Atleti are going to be a menace.
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