A below-par Atletico Madrid somehow managed to escape with a 0-0 draw at Alaves in La Liga on Saturday.
There were too many wretched performances on a day to forget for Diego Simeone's side and were it not for Miguel Moya's heroics, Atleti would have succumbed to a deserved away defeat. Quite unbelievably, Atleti had a golden chance to win it late on, but Nicolas Gaitan's pathetic effort encapsulated his side's afternoon in the space of a couple of seconds.
Positives
Moya's performance was exemplary. Additionally -- not sure if this technically counts -- Alaves left-back Theo Hernandez was the best player on the pitch and is on loan from Los Colchoneros. Is there a recall clause?
Negatives
Of the starting XI, perhaps two can hold their heads high -- and one of those players hobbled off before the hour mark. Jose Maria Gimenez's injury is bad news with the Champions League on the horizon.
Manager rating out of 10
4 -- Simeone's players let him down, but it is his responsibility to get a tune out of them. He was hamstrung by the fact he had to use a substitution to replace Gimenez. If he could have, he probably would have made 10 changes.
Player ratings (1-10; 10 = best. Players introduced after 70 minutes get no rating.)
GK Miguel Moya, 9 -- Put in a number of brilliant stops to prevent an embarrassing defeat. Cannot be expected to perform such heroics every week, though.
DF Sime Vrsaljko, 3 -- Was caught out of position early on only to be bailed out by Moya and it did not get much better from there. Was given no help from the midfield, but was targeted by the home side and crumbled.
DF Jose Maria Gimenez, 7 -- Heartbreaking for the 22-year-old to leave the field in tears after yet another dominant display. You can pay him no bigger compliment than saying Atleti looked far more wobbly at the back without him.
DF Diego Godin, 6 -- Put in a mixed-bag display. Deyverson tried to wind him up all afternoon and he was lucky to escape a red card for an elbow late on. Both were also involved in a spitting row that could result in punishment.
DF Filipe Luis, 4 -- Is in a bit of a slump. Made things like controlling simple passes look difficult and his usual defensive solidity was also lacking. Like Vrsaljko, needed cover that was not forthcoming.
MF Yannick Carrasco, 4 -- Was out of sorts and rarely looked like threatening. Gave the ball away too much and did not offer any defensive help at all. Can it be October again?
MF Koke, 5 -- Was the best of a bad bunch in midfield, but that is more a testament to his teammates' ineptitude than his own performance. Hard to believe a couple of seasons ago his corners were nicknamed "penalty corners." Now, they should be known as "catching practice."
MF Saul Niguez, 3 -- To say Gabi will not lose any sleep over his place in the side is an understatement. Was not involved in the game anywhere near enough. Slow on and off the ball and his cement-filled boots saw him give away far too many silly fouls.
MF Nicolas Gaitan, 2 -- Abysmal. Where to start? Was thoroughly rubbish. His performance can be summed up by his effort when played through one-on-one with 10 minutes to go -- he never looked like scoring and ran straight at the goalkeeper, who could not believe his luck. Very fortunate that only three substitutes are allowed.
FW Antoine Griezmann, 5 -- Cut a frustrated figure as his side's woeful use of the ball meant he had to drop deeper and deeper to try to get involved.
FW Kevin Gameiro, 4 -- Was anonymous. You would not have known he was on the pitch until his number was held up by the fourth official as he was replaced.
Substitutes
DF Stefan Savic, 6 -- Did alright himself, but Godin's head seemed to go at precisely the moment he entered the fray.
FW Angel Correa, 6 -- That he injured himself minutes after coming on yet still looked the side's most potent attacker while hobbling around for half an hour says it all.
FW Fernando Torres, 5 -- Provided entertainment by almost starting a brawl late on. Ran around a lot.