Analysis: Atlético-MG has a blackout, but wakes up on time, shows efficiency that was lacking and wins with authority | athletic-mg

Atlético’s first half hour in Mineirão was very bad. The team was extremely vulnerable in defense and zero in attack. He suffered pressure, saw Tricolor finish off two balls off the crossbar and even suffered a goal, annulled by the VAR for a millimeter impediment. In the sequence, the Rooster met. After Alan Franco’s first goal, the team unleashed and won with authority.

With the exception of the bad start, the Rooster got off to a convincing start. The biggest positive highlight was the correction of a problem that had been appearing in the Brasileirão: too much volume, little efficiency in the conclusions. Let’s go to the numbers: against Botafogo, in Rio, Atlético finished an incredible 31 times to score a goal. Against Inter, in Porto Alegre, there were 11 shots, and none of them shook the opposite net. Against São Paulo, in 14 appearances, eight went towards the goal and three entered

Hyoran celebrates Atlético-MG’s goal with Alan Franco – Photo: Disclosure / Mineirão

It’s also good to see how the goals came out. Atlético had missed – and still is – Nathan. He was the most creative player in the center of the athletic field and, without him, the sector lost a lot of quality. In the last two games, however, one piece seemed to fill part of that void: Alan Franco.

The Ecuadorian had already played a great game against Tombense, in the Mineiro final, showing dynamics and intelligence to attack spaces in the opposing defense. He did it again against São Paulo, also showing finishing power: he had two clear chances, he scored two beautiful goals.

You also need to mention the attendees. Jair, the scorer of the first goal pass, has been much more than a great scorer. The assist for Alan Franco was accurate, the ones that usually come from the feet of the shirts 10. In the second goal, Hyoran was the one who gave the pass (he had already been important stealing the ball in the play that generated the first goal), which it eased a bit. the pressure on him, which had been, rightly, highly demanded by the fans and the press.

Jair celebrates goal with Atlético-MG – Photo: Bruno Cantini / Atlético-MG

There is scope for major improvements. There always is. The initial blackout cannot be repeated, since, if the opponent had had a little more luck, they could have killed the game in the first half. At the front, the tips can and should perform more. Keno is an interesting example: it is very easy in one-on-one and easily cuts through opponents, but is very poor on definition (it even stepped on the post in the second half). If you aim correctly, you have everything to be a decisive player.

Anyway, the balance was very positive. If a third of the game was very bad, two thirds were excellent. The victory is even better: he put El Gallo back in the G-4, four points behind the leader Inter and with one game less. The next match is on Sunday, at 8:30 p.m. (Brasilia time), with Coritiba, in Couto Pereira. If Atlético has rediscovered its winning streak, the challenge now is to retake the victories away from home. The only one of the Brazilian, so far, was against Flamengo, in the first round.