Analysis: without Hulk, Atlético-MG has slow rotation and is due in debut in Libertadores | athletic-mg

The match statistics present a massacre in some respects. O Atlético-MG dominated ball possession (almost 80%), and finished 20 times against Carabobo. However, he left the field with a frustrating 0-0 draw in the Copa Libertadores debut. Franco favorite of the duel, the Rooster was in debt.

Eduardo Coudet bet on a formation with Ademir in Hulk’s vacancy. The owner of 7 goals in 5 games for the Galo, which defined practically every match of the season, is an immeasurable absence. Even so, Atlético hit the post (Paulinho) and had good chances with Pedrinho.

On the other hand, in the first half, the team lived with defensive scares. The Carabobo closed and prevented the transition of the Rooster through the middle. In a pass error by Paulinho (after a backwards hat), the home team almost opened the scoring. Thanks to Everson, the damage was not done.

There were clear difficulties against a team with 10 players behind the ball. Coudet’s tactical scheme has no corners, in theory, but makes Paulinho and Ademir try to leave the defenders’ confrontation zone, looking for spaces at the ends. Pedrinho is participatory, even though he makes many bad finishing decisions – kicks and passes for kicks.

Eduardo Coudet and Pedrinho talked about the lawn of the UCV’s Olímpico stadium. It looked bad, really, preventing the ball from being stable on low touches. Even so, a slowness in the transition was also evident, with bureaucratic passes in the midfield. Laterals Mariano and Dodô, mainly the left-hander, grew in the match after very weak performances in the initial stage.

Ademir, who played outside of his characteristics, even fought hard, created a great chance to score (Paulinho failed), and ended up being brought on by Eduardo Sasha who, despite not having a physique wearing the number 9, has much more presence than area.

A second half of total dominance, with Everson barely appearing. A positive entry by Igor Gomes, who, even following the trend of passes in the “chuveirinho” style, has faster technical decisions than, for example, Edenilson.

Clearly, Atlético were uncomfortable with the absence of Hulk and Vargas, and even Pavón. He only had Sasha and young Cadu as offensive options. It was a little (or not at all) satisfactory result. Everything indicates that Galo will have a much calmer performance in the return game, given the big difference in the technical, financial, structural level of the clubs. But the first leg generates the need to continue adjusting work that recently hit the first month of departures.

It’s still too early for any definitive criticism or any despair scenario. The logistics for Venezuela are heavy. Galo was a semi-finalist for the 2021 Libertadores, drawing (in Venezuela) at the premiere. Coudet debuted with a draw in the second phase of the competition for Inter in 2020.

But it is impossible not to imagine that he could test other tactical formations, mainly using more wingers, and seek to reduce the obvious technical dependence of an overwhelming start to the year by Hulk.