La Liga : Sevilla 3-1 Atletico Madrid

Gregorio Manzano marked his first home game on Sevilla's bench with a convincing 3-1 win over Atletico Madrid, following the mid-week away win in Dortmund against in-form Borussia. The board opted for a manager who basically favors 4-4-2, a formation intimately related to the team's success in recent years, under Ramón Rodríguez Verdejo "Monchi" sport direction. Moreover, the motivation techniques Mazano has been praised for, immediately brought the squad together and that has always been a crucial factor for a newly appointed manager.

The starting line-ups

The successor of Antonio Alvarez (and an Atletico manager in the past as well), lined up with a system that initially looked like a 4-4-2, playing Negredo and Kanoute upfront. However, with the Malian stiker often withdrawn in midfield positions, it seemed more like a 4-4-1-1 (or even 4-5-1) over the course of the game. 

With Aguero and Godin both out injured and Reyes banned for one match, Quique Flores started with a 4-5-1, using Perea as a central defender (it was probably his last time playing there...) and a midfield trio of Assuncao-Thiago-Mario Suarez, whilst Fran Merida replaced Reyes on the flank.

First Half (2-0)

Not a fascinating half at all, despite the scoreline and some good chances, as it took some really poor defending from Atletico to concede two goals in six minutes.

Renato was playing deeper for Sevilla, with Romaric occupying the space a bit higher up the pitch,  closer to  Atletico's midfielders. It seems that the Brazilian has restricted his forward runs and prefers a more conservative role in front of the defence, often receiving the first pass and providing cover, whilst the more powerful Romaric presses more intensely and -surprisingly- has more freedom to create. 

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