As I’ve said all season, you cannot try to apply reason to Atlético Madrid this season, and really anytime ever. So I don’t know why I’m so surprised that Gregorio Manzano is still at the helm. It’s quite the turnaround from a club that burns through at least one manager every season. I mean, Kim Kardashian has longer marriages than are the managerial stints at the Calderón.
It’s safe to say that things haven’t exactly gone to plan this year for Atlético Madrid. They are floundering in La Liga. Although they sit in 10th place, they are only 4 points off the drop. The rumors were that Manzano had three matches to prove his worth as manager, but that was about a month ago. Following the loss in the Madrid derby, it appeared his days were numbered. I can only imagine that Madrid newspapers are keeping an article on file in the event of his sacking the same way papers keep obituaries for celebrities who are on death's door.
Wins against Celtic and Rayo Vallecano only offered Manzano a stay of execution.
Then, it hit the fan with a 2-1 loss to Albacete in the Copa del Rey. Granted they have another leg to guarantee advancement, the embarrassment of losing to a Segunda Division B side can’t be overstated. The Atlético B squad made enough of an effort to force a draw with Albacete in the end of October.
As if the Copa del Rey defeat wasn’t enough, this was followed up by an equally dreadful performance against Espanyol in a 4-2 loss. Atleti surrendered 3 goals in the first 19 minutes of the match. I know there’s the saying that scoring too early can be problematic, but I don’t think there’s ever a wrong timeframe in which to score 3 goals.
Apparently, Manzano has been given until at least Christmas to try and turn things around. The likelihood of him actually doing that is about the same of Santa Claus himself lining up as the #9 for Atleti. Although it can’t be argued that Mr. Claus isn’t a fervent supporter of Atlético Madrid, what with his red and white suit, not so coincidentally the same colors of Atleti.
It’s only fair to look at the cases both for and against Gregorio Manzano.
Quite possibly the biggest thing in his favor is the fact that no one seems to want this job. Rafa Benitez has been highly sought after by the higher-ups at Atlético, but time and time again, Rafa has rebuffed their advances. It’s not really hard to see why. At Liverpool, he constantly complained about the ownership situation and how it adversely affected the club. You can’t really see him taking a job in which the owners are quite possibly worse than the Hicks/Gillett debacle.
Luis Aragones has been thrown around a little, and while he is an Atleti legend, I don’t really see him taking the job, either. Probably the most likely option is Diego Simeone. He has said that he would like to manage Atlético, but only 41 years old, he doesn’t bring a lot of experience to the table.
It’s not as if there is a throng of prospective managers flocking to the Spanish capital to walk the touchline at the Calderón. Right now, Manzano is the surest thing Atlético has when it comes to managers. If they sack him without a firm backup plan, the club would be in an even worse situation.
For all of his domestic struggles, Manzano has at least had success in Europe. With a win over Stade Rennes on Thursday, Atleti qualified for the knockout stages of the Europa League at the top of Group I. It was no easy feat either, considering the group included Rennes, Celtic and Udinese. Qualification to the knockout stages was more than Quique Sanchez Flores could bring the club last year after winning the title in 2010. I think that supporters would definitely trade another European title for a few spots in La Liga.
The case against Gregorio Manzano is quickly gaining more and more evidence in its favor.
When you look at the club’s struggles in the league, you need to only look at one driving factor: the away record. Atleti has managed to only pick up a single draw in seven away matches so far. That lone draw came against 15th place Granada. Granted the away schedule hasn’t been the most friendly, with early season meetings with Valencia, Barcelona and Athletic Bilbao, for a club that wants to compete for a Champions League place, you have to expect to pick up points away from home.
There has been no consistency with the squad. They take one step forward and one step back. They follow up a 1-0 loss to Valencia with back-to-back 4-0 victories over Sporting Gijon and Racing Santander. Atleti follows up those wins with a 5-0 drubbing to Barcelona. What could be a match that lights a fire under the squad, a hard-fought win over Levante is met with a 4-1 defeat to Madrid. Atlético hasn’t been able to build up any momentum whatsoever.
Quite possibly the biggest problem with Manzano is the fact that the club just looks absolutely listless. No one on the club has really stepped up as a leader. If Atlético goes down a goal, you have 11 faces all looking at each wondering what they are going to do next. There’s just no fight in the squad, no pride in the crest. It’s one thing if a team is struggling, but fighting the entire time. There’s something to be said for a manager whose team is always willing to give everything until the final whistle. But that isn’t present right now. It appears that Manzano has lost the dressing room completely. It’s obvious that José Reyes’ head is elsewhere. Manzano has frozen him out of the squad and his bags are already packed for Turkey. It just takes one malcontent to ruin an entire squad, though. And it’s not as if Reyes is chopped liver. He was arguably Atleti’s most consistent player last year, and while he hasn’t been great this year, he was still looked upon as a leader in the team.
Either way, whether Manzano stays or goes, it’s hard to see anyone turning around Atlético Madrid. But then again, always expect the unexpected with these guys.
World Football Daily
