In a season of managerial changes and transfer window splurges in England and across Europe, the early games of the campaign serve a very specific function β offering some much-desired clues about how good any of these teams actually are after a busy summer. Atletico Madrid's trip to Liverpool on Wednesday had the makings of being a fairly revealing match on paper and within minutes, it was on pace to live up to the billing. Atleti had cracked the Reds' porous defense wide-open with one pass and had the lead after 17 minutes, Liverpool now having to play catch-up if they wanted to take all three points out of their UEFA Champions League opener.
From there, though, it all became routine.
Liverpool's defensive blip in the early stretch of the game should ring some alarm bells, both because it is already a well-documented habit of their short season and because it is an issue that predates coach Andoni Iraola's summertime arrival. Atleti, who still boast Julian Alvarez after he failed to get the Barcelona move he wanted, took advantage of the opportunity in front of them with the Argentina international's smart pass before Marcos Llorente's impressive finish from the edge of the penalty area. The visitors, though, did not do much with the favorable game state they created early on against a vulnerable Liverpool β and ultimately squandered an opportunity to kick off their European campaign in style.
Llorente's goal may have woken up the Reds a bit but their attack-heavy roster was always poised to get back into the game. Both sides took three shots each in the build-up to Llorente's goal and after the fact, though the Reds wrestled back control of the game β they had roughly 35% of the ball before Llorente's goal and then nearly 60% to finish out the first half. The possession shift laid the groundwork for Liverpool's version of manageable imbalance, their offensive might allowing them to simply outscore the opposition. Ronald Araujo's backheel assist to Dominik Szoboszlai's goal ensured the Reds would have an equalizer before the break, while Alexis Mac Allister's goal 10 minutes later meant the hosts could coast to the finish line.
Even if they did not always live up to the intensity-focused identity Iraola would like to instill sooner rather than later, Liverpool got the job done. What became more revealing as the Reds cruised to an unglamorous but important victory, one thing became clear β Atleti were not exactly up to the task of challenging an imperfect opponent, at least not on Wednesday.
The visitors faded quickly, unable to assert themselves as the game wore on. They mustered just 0.32 expected goals from six shots after Llorente's goal, completely outdone by Liverpool's 1.39 expected goals from 11 attempts. Outside of the direct comparison to the Reds, though, it is a paltry total for 73 minutes of effort, which included a 29 minute stretch midway through the game where they did not register a single shot.
From an individual standpoint, Atleti's attackers struggled to get involved in the match as it continued. Alvarez was hovering around last season's average of 49.7 touches and 3.1 shots per game in the Champions League but the quality of those chances was not much to write home about β he notched just 0.23 expected goals on Wednesday, less than half of the 0.6 expected goals he averaged a season ago. He was far from the only unimpressive Atleti attacker, though β Lee Kang-in clocked in at 0.02 expected goals plus expected assists after a 59 minute shift, while Llorente's only highlight was his goal. In all honesty, the goal was maybe the only highlight for the visitors when all was said and done.
Wednesday's result does not have to be a defining moment of Atleti's season, in large part because they have the attacking pieces they need to have additional spark over the course of their domestic and European campaign. Alvarez may still be dealing with the emotional drain that a months-long transfer saga likely causes, even if the feeling of losing in the World Cup final has faded. Ademola Lookman has proven he can be useful for a well-meaning team in a European campaign, while Canada international Jonathan David may just need some time to get up to speed after a move from Juventus late in the transfer window.
None of it, though, really came together on Wednesday. Atleti never ultimately posed the long list of questions Liverpool were due to face, curious onlookers now likely needing to wait until a clash with Manchester City after a gargantuan international break for some clues. The same is ultimately true for Atleti, who seem unresolved despite last season's run to the semifinals.
