South American blog: Atletico Mineiro shining in Libertadores with rejuvenated R10
South American blog: Atletico Mineiro shining in Libertadores with rejuvenated R10
Euan Marshall takes a look at the team blazing a trail through the group stage of the Copa Libertadores
We do Ron, Ron, Ron: In his best form for years, Ronaldinho is lighting up the Libertadores again
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As the Paraguayan referee sounded the final whistle on Wednesday
night in the Estádio Independência, Ronaldinho and his Atlético Mineiro
team-mates congregated on the field to celebrate a momentous Copa
Libertadores victory.
After a fascinating match, they defeated Arsenal (from the
Argentinian city of Sarandí, not North London!) by five goals to two,
with Ronaldinho scoring twice.
And this was no fluke, Atlético have now won five Libertadores
matches in succession. Furthermore, these two teams faced each other
over a month ago in Argentina, with the Brazilians winning, incredibly,
by an identical 5-2 scoreline.
As the Copa Libertadores group phase approaches its end, Atlético are
the only club with a 100% record. Based on recent results and quality
of play, Galo are the best team in South America, if only for the time
being.
The formula for their stirring form has been a mixture of stability
and shrewd transfer policy. The impressive squad that finished second in
last year’s Brazilian championship has remained and, crucially, been
improved upon in key areas.
Their substitutes’ bench has seen a considerable rise in quality with
the introduction of nippy winger Luan, centre-forward Alecsandro and
former Arsenal (of London this time) man Gilberto Silva, all of whom
were first-choice at their previous clubs.
However, their most important piece of off-season business was luring back fans’ favourite Diego Tardelli from his Qatari exile. Ronaldinho against Arsenal during their Libertadores Cup match at Arena Independencia Stadium
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Tardelli led the line at Atlético for two seasons between 2009 and
2011 and was the club’s only consistent performer in what was a
turbulent period for the Galo Mineiro. He established himself as an idol
among the home fans, scoring 73 times in 114 appearances.
In 2011, he was subject to a multi-million Euro bid (€5 million, to
be exact) from nouveau-riche Russian club Anzhi Makhachkala, but his
time in Dagestan was brief and frustrating and he soon left for warmer
climes to play for Qatari side Al-Gharrafa.
No longer playing the role of Atlético’s main goal-getter, Tardelli
is now the right-sided forward in head coach Cuca’s 4-2-3-1 system and
provides a seamless link between the other three attackers. On the left
flank, 20-year-old Bernard has won several admirers with his speed and
dribbling skills, centre-forward Jô (formerly of Manchester City and
Everton) adds an aerial threat and converts chances, while 2005 Ballon
d’Or winner Ronaldinho Gaúcho operates in attacking midfield and offers a
wonderful supply line for those ahead of him.
Diego Tardelli, however, possesses all of those qualities – he can
dribble, finish and pass – and at times he comes across as an
amalgamation of his three strike partners. It is this completeness and
variation that makes Atlético tick.
Speaking of Ronaldinho, the buck-toothed magician has lit up this
year’s Copa Libertadores. His second goal (below) on Wednesday evening
was a thing of sheer beauty: finding himself in space on the left side
of the penalty area, he shaped to curl the ball to the far post but
instead dispatched the most nonchalant of drop shots into the near
corner.
With three goals and four assists in his five Libertadores matches
this season, Ronaldinho is undoubtedly on his best form since leaving
Barcelona. He has struggled in his recent returns for the national team,
but head coach Luiz Felipe Scolari appears to still have faith in R10,
calling him up for today’s friendly match against Bolivia.
Atlético-MG still have one group game to play, facing São Paulo away
from home next Wednesday – a do-or-die fixture for their compatriots –
but they look certain to finish the phase with the best record of all 32
participating clubs.
However, the title of ‘Group Stage Champion’ has often proved to be a
poisoned chalice and the advantage gained from it is arbitrary. The
last time a side with the most points in the group stage went on to win
the tournament was River Plate in 1996 and since then, 9 of the 16 teams
have failed to progress further than the quarter finals.
Cuca, Atlético’s head coach, ran afoul of this ‘curse’ two years ago
when he was in charge of Atlético’s fierce rivals, Cruzeiro. There he
had built a similarly scintillating side, finishing the group phase with
a remarkable goal difference of +19. In the last 16, Cruzeiro faced the
lowest-ranked qualifier Once Caldas from Colombia and amazingly crashed
out of the tournament after losing 2-0 away from home.
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