Takeaways: FC Barcelona 3 -1 Atlético de Madrid

Los Colchoneros’ return to the Camp Nou proved to be a letdown.

There were no Alexander Sørloth heroics for Atlético this time in Barcelona. Even though Atleti came out flying in the first 20 minutes and were duly rewarded with a fantastic goal from Álex Baena, poor defending allowed the hosts to equalize just six minutes later, and the visitors were fortunate when Robert Lewandowski blasted a penalty well over Jan Oblak’s goal.

The second half was marked by more dreadful defending and a lack of quality in Barcelona’s final third, typified by frustrating misses from Antoine Griezmann and Thiago Almada. When Ferrán Torres ended the match as a contest with a simple finish in second-half stoppage time, it felt as if Atlético deserved little more.

There were a couple of debatable calls — Baena appealed for a potential handball outside the box by Joan García, and Gerard Martín’s strong challenge on Giuliano Simeone was maybe red card-worthy. But overall, it was a fairly-contested match between Barça and Atlético, defined by one team’s composure in an important match and the other team’s lack of it.

The 3-1 result brings an end to Atlético’s seven-match winning streak and 13-match unbeaten run in LaLiga, merely the start of a brutal stretch of fixtures in December.

Left hanging in defense

When Atleti’s left side has functioned this season, Los Rojiblancos have been able to turn in performances of an impressive standard.

When the left side from defense to attack struggles to get involved, Atleti aren’t likely to get a result.

Nico González delivered his worst performance in a red-and-white shirt, completing only one pass in 45 minutes. Lamine Yamal completed nine dribbles as the Clément Lenglet – Dávid Hancko struggled to keep the wunderkind from tearing apart the defense.

Lenglet just isn’t a serious option if Atleti are to take the next step into title contention. He struggled to track Raphinha on the Brazilian’s equalizing goal, and he seemed lost on Dani Olmo’s go-ahead strike five minutes after the hour. As Atleti pushed for a late equalizer, Lenglet lost track of Ferrán in the buildup to Barcelona’s third.

Everyone knows Lenglet’s limitations. The injury to Robin Le Normand has opened a door for him to return to the team, but Diego Simeone has to know at this point that he cannot get away with starting the Frenchman against an opponent of this standard. It’s time for Marc Pubill to play more — and Mateu Alemany should be working to replace Lenglet as soon as he can.

Big-game Baena’s stellar performance cut short

Álex Baena once again showed his quality when the lights were brightest. He produced a gorgeous finish over Joan García to open the scoring for Atlético, his second goal for the club. He seems to thrive in the old-school Antoine Griezmann role, showcasing his ability to create chances, score goals, and track back defensively, just as Grizi did in the mid-2010s.

Furthermore, the team appeared to unravel a bit following Baena’s eventual substitution, which was prompted by an apparent hamstring injury just after the hour.

That has been the story of Baena’s season so far: two steps forward, one step back. The same goes for Johnny Cardoso, who played only 12 minutes after suffering a knee injury. Josema Giménez also ended the game limping.

Hopefully, all three of these players return as soon as possible. But Baena offers magic, a sense of wonder that isn’t replicated elsewhere in the team — especially with Julián Alvarez suffering through an extended run of poor form.

Simeone can’t get it right

Admittedly, this wasn’t Cholo Simeone’s best lineup choice against La Blaugrana. Could he have turned to Ruggeri to help shore up the left? Maybe, but who’s to say things wouldn’t have gotten out of hand anyway? A month ago, if I told you it would be Ruggeri vs. Lamine Yamal for 90 minutes, would you have felt confident?

Ultimately, Simeone simply doesn’t have the defensive support he needs to properly contain a Barcelona side of this caliber for 90 minutes away from home. Almada and Griezmann did what they could in their limited minutes, but both squandered excellent chances to level the match before Ferrán sealed the three points.

At this point, Nico Gonzalez is on a three-month scoring drought. Sørloth and Conor Gallagher added little when they came on. Giacomo Raspadori continues to have an uncertain role in the team.

Not exactly the dream start to a brutal December for Atleti, who are now six points behind the league leaders and will look to rebound on Saturday against Athletic Club at San Mamés.