Atletico Madrid has no defense

Atletico Madrid reaches the most delicate moment of the season, in which his future playing in the Champions League and the few options remaining in the league, in an extreme situation . With the lack of goal still unresolved, the team had based its entire stake in a strong defensive unsurpassed throughout Europe. Holders in the rear have been consolidated among the best in the world and meet guarantees alternates every time he touches them.

However, Simeone will accumulate problems in central defense . Godin , the great reference, had to leave early on the back of the tie against PSV due to a thigh problem. His compatriot Gimenez suffered a similar injury in the last league match, defeat in Gijon. Savic , the usual replacement, it takes a month off from the first leg against the Dutch, also for muscle aches. The central room of the workforce, Lucas Hernández is the greatest concern, since he returned from his commitment to the France Under-21 with a fractured vertebra.

There is confidence that the Montenegrin and the oldest of Uruguayans recover in time, but the fact is that, today, there is one central healthy in the template . What's more, Saul Ñíguez , which has had to fill the post of necessity on occasion, is also touched, as he suffered a sprained ankle playing with the lower categories of Spain.

So, facing the four parties that have the Atleti from here to 13 April (two league against Betis and Spanish, and other international goals against Barca ), there are three options. The first, shorten recovery times forcing the maximum and risking severe relapses. The second, improvise adapting the position of any other member of the team (Gamez? Gabi?), At the risk of their performance is not ideal and that other areas of the country remain weak. And the last, of course, resorting to the quarry , that it is ... but perhaps the jump Third Division to compete against Messi , Neymar and Suarez is a bit abrupt.

Banished (please) the victimista topic of bad luck and "pupae", who would be accused of such a delicate situation? For once and without a precedent, it does not seem that the offices have direct responsibility , since the preparation of the template seems adequate and four plants should be sufficient, although a fifth element would have been no more .

Yes you can accuse them of certain indolence in defending the interests of the club on schedules , with accumulations of games in a short time which require extraordinary efforts. But that negotiated deals Mr. Thebes , who is public and notorious sympathy for the other team of the city and, if anything, on the other club in the league that supposedly gives television profitability. Likewise, it is not the responsibility of the Atleti the excess irrelevant team matches cluttering further schedule already collapsed.

So it is organized football in this country and on this continent, and while these structures do not change, there is no way, except for sporadic miracles, compete on truly equal terms . For now, one of the few, very few teams across Europe who had dared to stand up to Barcelona is seeing, by chance, your options are reduced at the most inopportune moment. Still, no one would ever dare to rule out in advance a team coached by Cholo.