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Atletico Madrid and Valencia look ready to challenge Barcelona and Real Madrid in La Liga

AFP/Getty Images/Jose Jordan
AFP/Getty Images/Jose Jordan

It was a fixture neither will have wanted in the first round of matches. While Barcelona and Real Madrid were handed home games against Alaves and Getafe, respectively, Valencia and Atletico Madrid were paired together in the first weekend of La Liga. And the match-up did not disappoint.

If anybody was expecting a cagey affair between two teams more concerned with defence than attack, they will have been pleasantly surprised. Because even though this was the opening round of La Liga, Valencia and Atleti went all out for a victory and in the end, both can be happy with a hard-earned draw.

On the back of his team’s Uefa Super Cup success against Real Madrid in Tallinn on Wednesday night, Diego Simeone surprised with his team selection as Rodri dropped to the bench and Angel Correa was included after his fine cameo in Estonia. That meant no specialist defensive midfielder in the line-up, which was bold and brave from the usually pragmatic Argentine.

And it worked wonders in a first half which was dominated by Atleti as Antoine Griezmann dropped deep to filter passes through to Diego Costa and Correa, one such delicious delivery setting up the latter for the opening goal after 26 minutes.

Photo: REUTERS
Photo: REUTERS

Valencia, by contrast, were more cautious in the first 45 minutes and found themselves restricted to long-range efforts. Daniel Wass was impressive on his debut, but fellow summer signings Kevin Gameiro, Denis Cheryshev and Michy Batshuayi all started on the bench.

While the first half looked like men against boys as Valencia appeared to afford too much respect to their rivals, the second period was altogether different. Marcelino’s words at the interval clearly made an impression and after the break, the home side came out with increased urgency and desire.

And although Ateti remained dangerous, Valencia’s improvement brought a leveller after just 56 minutes, when Wass crossed to find Rodrigo, who chested the ball down and smashed spectacularly past Jan Oblak to make it 1-1 with his marker Diego Godin unusually static.

Both coaches then threw the dice. Marcelino sent on Gameiro and Batshuayi (as well as defender Mouctar Diakhaby for the injured Ezequiel Garay) as Valencia ended the game with three strikers on the pitch – and the two substitutes were each denied by Oblak in the final few minutes as Mestalla willed its team forward.

In the meantime, Simeone sent on Vitolo, Gelson Martins and Thomas to freshen up a side that was quite possibly feeling the effects of the 120 minutes in Tallinn, and they too went for it in what became an open bout in the closing stages, in which Saul fired a free-kick just over the bar in added time.

The draw was a fair result at the end of what was essentially a classic game of two halves – one dominated by Atletico and the other by Valencia. This match was anything but clichéd, however; instead it was a tactical and technical duel between two teams of the very highest level.

Photo: AFP/Getty Images
Photo: AFP/Getty Images

Atletico, having already beaten Real early in the week and finished second in La Liga last season, look even stronger this term following a summer of recruitment which has seen Rodri, Thomas Lemar and Gelson Martins all arrive, along with Nikola Kalinic.

And Valencia, with Wass, Cheryshev, Gameiro and Batshuayi all added, plus the possibility of Goncalo Guedes to return at the end of the transfer window following his impressive loan spell from Paris Saint-Germain last season, appear well equipped for an even better campaign in La Liga (having finished fourth last season) and a positive run in Europe as well.

Spain’s big two have had Atletico as company for some time and now Valencia look ready to make it a big four in Spain, with Sevilla the only other outfit with a realistic chance of challenging for a Champions League place in 2018-19.

Simeone’s side showed their resilience here in holding out for a point, while Marcelino’s men produced a rousing recovery after going behind. Both Atletico and Valencia will get better in the weeks and months ahead and on this evidence, Barca and Madrid will definitely not have things all their own way in La Liga this season