The Best Games of the Week!

Real Madrid 3–1 Atalanta

Real Madrid came into this game with a 1–0 advantage over Atalana. La Dea would have to score at least two goals without Real Madrid responding. 

In a back-and-forth game, Real Madrid got the job done. Los Blancos’ defense didn’t have a lot on their plate tonight, but their attack was extremely lively all game long. I noticed how they used Atalanta’s relatively frail defense to their advantage, sweeping blow upon blow on the counter attack. The Madridistas were also able to capitalize on some of the Atalanta errors, which led to goals. Luca Modric was fantastic today, setting up the opening goal with a smart pass, and creating other plays with his exquisite technique. I am on the fence regarding how Thibaut Courtois played today. On the one hand, the Belgian made some good saves late in the game, when Atalanta piled on the pressure. But I also believe he should have saved the only goal that he conceded. Vinicius Jr. also was a mixed bag. The twenty-year-old made some outstanding dribbles to get into great areas, but he just couldn’t score. Could he get tips from a returning legend… maybe…Ronaldo?

The first Real Madrid goal came from an Atalanta screw up. Marco Sportiello was under no pressure when playing out from the back, but he played it right to Modric. The Croatian squared it to Kareem Benzema from 5 yards, who doesn’t miss from there. Great pressure from Real Madrid caused that goal. On the hour mark, Jr. was clipped by Rafael Tolói just inside the penalty box, after being through on goal. Sergio Ramos never misses penalties, and smashed the ball into the net. It wasn’t the best penalty, to be honest, as the goalie almost saved it. The nail in the coffin was just after they had conceded, when another counterattack allowed Lucas Vasquez to lay the ball to Marco Asensio, who struck it into the near post, just past Sportiello’s feet. Zinedine Zidane will be relieved that they were able to win fairly comfortably. 

Atalanta did put up a decent fight in Madrid, but they couldn’t overcome the first leg deficit. They did have their fair chances, but they weren’t as clinical as they needed to be. Coming into this game, I honestly wasn’t expecting them to be able to win, and I'm sure most everyone else thought the same. However, they should have taken their chances better, like Zapatas’s effort which was hit straight at Courtois’s feet. These kinds of missed opportunities can only bring up questions. My question is this: What happened to the Atalanta of only a year ago? What happened to the Atalanta that beat Valencia 8–4 on aggregate, in the UCL? Yes, I’m aware that Real Madrid is a much tougher opponent, but I just don’t get that flair and excitement from watching Atalanta anymore. It’s a real shame, because at their peak, they were everyone’s second favorite club. When they played, you knew there would be loads of goals.

Atalanta’s only goal of the night came when Luis Muriel hit an excellent free kick over the wall to beat Courtois. Admittedly, it was really well placed, but there wasn’t a whole lot of power behind the shot, so I believe that Courtois should have palmed it away. That goal kept the game interesting, until not a minute later, some poor defending allowed for Asensio to seal the deal with a goal. THIS is the main issue with Atalanta right now. They can’t defend, or score. They used to be like 2016/17 AS Monaco, where they couldn’t defend, but they could outscore the opponent. However, Atalanta can’t score now, and they still haven’t really invested in a solid defense. Until they do, they could be heading for a real downward spiral. I sure hope not. Anyways, Atalanta are now out of the UCL, and solidifying their back four should be the only thing on Gian Piero Gasperini’s mind right now. 

Real Madrid march on! They will find out who they play in the Champions League quarter finals when the draw is made on Friday. For Atalanta, they can still look towards silverware in the Copa Italia, when they play Juventus in April.

Arsenal 2–1 Tottenham

Spurs knew they needed a win, or else they would have missed a chance to get into the Europa League spot, and even close down Chelsea in the race for the top four. Arsenal’s long-term goals aren’t as direct, being currently 8 points from Tottenham, nowhere near a European place. 

Spurs were expected to put up a great display against the Gunners, but they never looked like they could.  Spurs sat deep for much of the game, which was weird, considering that Jose Mourinho knows how much firepower Arsenal can have. Sideways passing was a mainstay for much of the 90 minutes for the Lillywhites, and the usual creative thinkers that are Lucas Moura, Gareth Bale, and Harry Kane, were uninspiring. Bale was especially disappointing tonight, as he didn’t create ANYTHING notable. Their only goal of the game was completely against the run of play, and even after the goal, you could feel that Arsenal would be earning their leveler soon after. Tottenham were also laced with some bad luck, as early on in the first half, Son Heung-min went down after what seemed like a hamstring issue. Could Son have been the difference in the game? I think he very well could have been. However, his substitute didn’t do a half bad job covering for him…

Eric Lamela must have thought coming into this match that tonight wouldn’t have been one to remember for him, as he found himself on the bench like in many games. However, he produced one of the best goals of the North London Derby (and maybe in Premier League history!) tonight. When Lucas Moura received the ball in the box from a cross, he dinked it to Lamela, who had two players in front of him. Somehow, he managed to RABONA the ball into the far left-hand corner, giving Bernd Leno no chance. Imagine the scenes if there had been fans in the stadium….that was their only good chance of the first half, but they did try and fight back late on in the second half after going two goals down. Harry Kane almost produced another incredible Spurs goal, when he curled an effort around the wall from a free kick, striking the post. In the end though, Arsenal walked away with the three points, and you would be hard-pressed to find anyone that would argue that Tottenham deserved even some of it.

Arsenal never looked back from kick off, and really put Tottenham in their place. The Gunners’ attack was full of hunger, and their defense was just as formidable. Arsenal lined up with a statement midfield three. Bukayo Saka, Emile Smith-Rowe, and Martin Ödegaard are all under the age of 23, and they used that to their advantage, outpacing Spurs’s fullbacks. Arsenal’s defense was a brick wall today as well. You couldn’t have blamed them much for Lamela’s goal, as nobody could have seen him take the shot, because it seemed too outlandish. Kieran Tierney helped on the attack as well, making good runs and pressuring the Spurs defense. David Luiz and Gabriel continue to strengthen their center back partnership. They didn’t have much to do today, but they stopped every attack they were faced with. That being said, David Luiz is 33, so I can’t see him being in Mikel Arteta’s long term plans. He should look for a new center back in the summer transfer window.

After going a goal down, Arsenal answered brilliantly. They kept their heads up, found the equalizer in only a matter of minutes. Tierney was the one who created the goal. The Scot weaved his way past Matt Doherty on the byline, and then put a tempting cross into the box.  Ödegaard met the ball and smashed it towards goal. The ball flicked off of Toby Alderweireld, and into the net. If it hadn’t been deflected, Hugo Lloris would have saved the shot. Arsenal went on to win the game through a penalty. Nicolas Pepe put in a sensational through ball to Alexander Lacazette, who was then chopped down by Davidson Sanchez. Some may dispute whether it actually was a penalty, because Lacazette had let the ball get past him before he was brought down. Lacazette coolly rifled the ball into the far corner of the net, sending Lloris the wrong way, and sealing all three points. It's no less than what Arsenal deserved.

North London is Red! Arsenal fight back from a goal down, to come within touching distance of Spurs on the table. Spurs will be looking over their shoulder now, but must stay calm, and remain focused in their fight to stay in Europe.