This is Atleti

December 5th, 2012

The Groundhog Day One

Again. Another year comes to an end and we miserably fail to perform against Real Madrid. The 2-0 defeat leave all fans with a somber look and the first hint of worries at serious team flaws shown at the Santiago Bernabeu.

On the bright side, if any, the team still has a solid point gap with the rest of Champions League spot aspiring sides and even Real Madrid is still far away for the moment.

We analyze the derbi, we talk about current affairs like transfer rumors, Courtois and his Twitter issues, training facilities and how complete the player list actually is. All this as usual with the red and white passion we always try to spread.

NOTE: Do not miss Martin Rosenow excellent account of his trip to Spain, pictures included: http://www.atleticofans.com/15339/the-red-and-white-aftermath-match-day-13/

Ricardo Menendez (@rickyam on Twitter) co hosts the Spanish version of the show Esto es Atleti. He writes for www.forzaatleti.com and has contributed to www.lavidaenrojiblanco.com www.spanishfootball.info and www.madridatleticos.com.

www.forzafutbol.com

Garreth Nunn (@GarrethNunn on Twitter) is cofounder of www.madridatleticos.com writes for www.forzafutbol.com, www.sabotagetimes.com, http://www.football-espana.net and US based ForzaFutbol and Madrid based magazine European Vibe.

Derek Maaijen (@DerekMaaijen on Twitter) is part of the dutch Atletico Peña. He writes for and co owns Atletico Fans www.atleticofans.com

Martin Rosenow (@atletideneptuno on Twitter) is Atletico Fans writer and creator of the unique http://iloveatleti.tumblr.com/

Please don't forget to visit these excellent sites:

www.madridatleticos.com

www.facebook.com/madridatleticos

www.AtleticoFans.com

www.facebook.com/AtleticoFans

And ours!

www.thisisatleti.com

www.facebook.com/ThisisAtleti

www.twitter.com/ThisisAtleti

November 16th 2012

The One before Martin's big arrival

Atleti get back on the winning track beating Getafe 2-0 in an apparently almost eventless match football wise. Falcao ended the match slightly frustrated after not being able to score in front of a visiting crowd of 3000 Colombians that were given cheaper tickets to promote Atlético in Colombia. Adrián scored his first Liga goal this season and Arda was a key player in the victory.

The four hosts for This is Atleti are about to get together in person for the first time ever and we are really excited about it. Ahead lie Granada, Hapoel and Sevilla 7 days which should be positive for the team both on the Europa League and Liga fronts.

We have cantera expert Billy Edwards (@BillyEdwards94 on Twitter) aboard again to talk about Atleti B's bad results and the performance of the younger cantera players with their NTs.

Ricardo Menendez (@rickyam on Twitter) co hosts the Spanish version of the show Esto es Atleti. He writes for www.forzaatleti.com and has contributed to www.lavidaenrojiblanco.com www.spanishfootball.info and www.madridatleticos.com.

www.forzafutbol.com

Garreth Nunn (@GarrethNunn on Twitter) is cofounder of www.madridatleticos.com writes for www.forzafutbol.com, www.sabotagetimes.com, http://www.football-espana.net and US based ForzaFutbol and Madrid based magazine European Vibe.

Derek Maaijen (@DerekMaaijen on Twitter) is part of the dutch Atletico Peña. He writes for and co owns Atletico Fans www.atleticofans.com

Martin Rosenow (@atletideneptuno on Twitter) is Atletico Fans writer and creator of the unique http://iloveatleti.tumblr.com/

Please don't forget to visit these excellent sites:

www.madridatleticos.com

www.facebook.com/madridatleticos

www.AtleticoFans.com

www.facebook.com/AtleticoFans

And ours!

www.thisisatleti.com

www.facebook.com/ThisisAtleti

www.twitter.com/ThisisAtleti

November 9th 2012

The One when we flopped (twice)

Without sounding full alarms we do acknowledge and analyze the two consecutive defeats (the second one being specially unexpected and astonishing) that wash away Atleti's long held records as an undefeated side for over a year and the all time European consecutive wins mark.

After letting go of both nice-to-have honorary mentions it is time to get back on track and get a good result versus Getafe to regain the victory track and keep having a comfortable gap with the third team in La Liga. We deal with current affairs that worry Atleti supporters such as a injuries of players for next matches the international matches coming up and what that means for certain Atletico players and how wobbly some of the second line players are proving to be not even deserving a spot as fringe players. Will we see some fringe rotation in the December transfer market window? We welcome cantera expert Billy Edwards (@BillyEdwards94 on Twitter) aboard to talk about la cantera though we did have some audio and connectivity problems. We promise to have him on again in the following weeks with more time for him to give his views.

Ricardo Menendez (@rickyam on Twitter) co hosts the Spanish version of the show Esto es Atleti. He writes for www.forzaatleti.com and has contributed to www.lavidaenrojiblanco.com www.spanishfootball.info and www.madridatleticos.com.

www.forzafutbol.com

Garreth Nunn (@GarrethNunn on Twitter) is cofounder of www.madridatleticos.com writes for www.forzafutbol.com, www.sabotagetimes.com, http://www.football-espana.net and US based ForzaFutbol and Madrid based magazine European Vibe.

Derek Maaijen (@DerekMaaijen on Twitter) is part of the dutch Atletico Peña. He writes for and co owns Atletico Fans www.atleticofans.com

Martin Rosenow (@atletideneptuno on Twitter) is Atletico Fans writer and creator of the unique http://iloveatleti.tumblr.com/

Please don't forget to visit these excellent sites:

www.madridatleticos.com

www.facebook.com/madridatleticos

www.AtleticoFans.com

www.facebook.com/AtleticoFans

And ours!

www.thisisatleti.com

www.facebook.com/ThisisAtleti

www.twitter.com/ThisisAtleti

The One when we became co-leaders

October 17th 2012

And the international break allowed Atleti to remain even firmer in its co-leader position rivalling Barcelona and Real Madrid for a bigger than usual chunk of attention from the media. The downside to this is that Falcao has turned into a sweet candy for any European side seeking a top flight star and rumors of a move as soon as January are starting to become more and more frequent. The international break has allowed us to see many of our stars in action with their NTs and besides Juanfran being heavily critisized for a mistake in the match against France and Arda Turan's injury most key players have comeback with positive experiences, specially Falcao himself as well as Courtois.

We review the match against Málaga, Pellegrini's unsportsmanship when he losses and the whole Pizzi deal affair with the dark hand of Jorge Mendes moving the strings.

We asked Susanne Offermann ( @mirai_torres on Twitter) to return to the show and tell us about her latest trip to watch Atleti vs Viktoria, Málaga and watch Oliver Torres, Saul, Manquillo and the rest play for Atleti B.

Ricardo Menendez (@rickyam on Twitter) co hosts the Spanish version of the show Esto es Atleti. He writes for www.forzaatleti.com and has contributed to www.lavidaenrojiblanco.com www.spanishfootball.info and www.madridatleticos.com.

www.forzafutbol.com

Garreth Nunn (@GarrethNunn on Twitter) is cofounder of www.madridatleticos.com writes for www.forzafutbol.com, www.sabotagetimes.com, http://www.football-espana.net and US based ForzaFutbol and Madrid based magazine European Vibe.

Derek Maaijen (@DerekMaaijen on Twitter) is part of the dutch Atletico Peña. He writes for and co owns Atletico Fans www.atleticofans.com

Martin Rosenow (@atletideneptuno on Twitter) is Atletico Fans writer and creator of the unique http://iloveatleti.tumblr.com/

Please don't forget to visit these excellent sites:

www.madridatleticos.com

www.facebook.com/madridatleticos

www.AtleticoFans.com

www.facebook.com/AtleticoFans

The One when the Onion made them cry

October 5th 2012

Cebolla Rodriguez netted a spectacular injury time screamer than enabled Atleti to win the match in the last minute and head their Europa League group comfortably, lining up mostly second line players. The EL victory added to more good news the weekend before where Raúl García completed another good match and scored the winning goal, winning over the last reluctant-to-forgive supporters who now believe Raúl García not only has space in the team but can be an important player for the team.

Besides the Liga and EL round up we have a look ahead at the crucial match versus Málaga, news related to Falcao's salary, the cantera teams among other topics.

Ricardo Menendez (@rickyam on Twitter) co hosts the Spanish version of the show Esto es Atleti. He writes for www.forzaatleti.com and has contributed to www.lavidaenrojiblanco.com www.spanishfootball.info and www.madridatleticos.com.

www.forzafutbol.com

Garreth Nunn (@GarrethNunn on Twitter) is cofounder of www.madridatleticos.com writes for www.forzafutbol.com, www.sabotagetimes.com, http://www.football-espana.net and US based ForzaFutbol and Madrid based magazine European Vibe.

Derek Maaijen (@DerekMaaijen on Twitter) is part of the dutch Atletico Peña. He writes for and co owns Atletico Fans www.atleticofans.com

Martin Rosenow (@atletideneptuno on Twitter) is Atletico Fans writer and creator of the unique http://iloveatleti.tumblr.com/

Please don't forget to visit these excellent sites:

www.madridatleticos.com

www.facebook.com/madridatleticos

www.AtleticoFans.com

www.facebook.com/AtleticoFans

The Tiger and the Cub One

September 28th 2012

Following up with Atleti's excellent moment we review the two latest wins vs Real Valladolid and Real Betis. Atleti now second in La Liga, something we had grown used to not experiencing has Falcao as main killer weapon. The Colombian continues to set records for the rojiblancos and has found a more than decent replacement in Diego Costa willing to take the role of becoming Falcao's natural replacement: the Cub?

We also cover the goalkeeping issue. Is Asenjo the best choice to fill Courtois' shoes?

Ahead is Español and maybe a chance to lead the league. The season is getting better and better but will all our hopes fade as fast as we built them up?

Finally we also talk about the youth system and the debate around Atleti B's coach Alfredo's results.

Ricardo Menendez (@rickyam on Twitter) co hosts the Spanish version of the show Esto es Atleti. He writes for www.forzaatleti.com and has contributed to www.lavidaenrojiblanco.com www.spanishfootball.info and www.madridatleticos.com.

www.forzafutbol.com

Derek Maaijen (@DerekMaaijen on Twitter) is part of the dutch Atletico Peña. He writes for and co owns Atletico Fans www.atleticofans.com

Martin Rosenow (@atletideneptuno on Twitter) is Atletico Fans writer and creator of the unique http://iloveatleti.tumblr.com/

Please don't forget to visit these excellent sites:

www.madridatleticos.com

www.facebook.com/madridatleticos

www.AtleticoFans.com

www.facebook.com/AtleticoFans

The Second Line One

September 21st 2012

Our first European clash of the season was a great chance (risky as it might have sounded at first) for our less frequent starters to earn their stripes and get involved in the tour de force Atleti's stride through European championships has been in the last 13 matches collecting an astonishing 13 consecutive undefeated matches including two European Finals averaging 3 goals per match.

Tel Aviv witnessed a sweatless 0-3 win with emerging player to follow Diego Costa scoring a very nice goal and proving a valid backup for Falcao and Raúl García popping into the starting eleven and receiving man of the match recognition for his performance.

Before travelling there we went through a 100% Atleti style rollercoaster versus Rayo with 70 minutes to remember and 7 to forget and almost to regret. After leading the match 4-0 the excess of substitutions in a short period of time added to the lack of intensity in the final part of the match allowed Rayo to try a comeback leaving a tight score and wobbly knees in Atleti supporters. The final 4-3 score must be a warning that no win is easy or should be taken for granted.

We asked Billy Edwards (BillyEdwards94 on Twitter) from MadridAtleticos.com and AtleticoFans.com to join us to talk about Cantera specially the severe slump the B team is facing right before receiving Real Madrid C from the bottom of the chart. We also have writer Florian Tiemann (@Flooo09 on Twitter) from MadridAtleticos.com to give his views on the recent Atlético news and his views on these two aformentioned matches.

And it's our second recent episode without Gary. Come back home soon!

Ricardo Menendez (@rickyam on Twitter) co hosts the Spanish version of the show Esto es Atleti. He writes for www.forzaatleti.com and has contributed to www.lavidaenrojiblanco.com www.spanishfootball.info and www.madridatleticos.com.

www.forzafutbol.com

Derek Maaijen (@DerekMaaijen on Twitter) is part of the dutch Atletico Peña. He writes for and co owns Atletico Fans www.atleticofans.com

Martin Rosenow (@atletideneptuno on Twitter) is Atletico Fans writer and creator of the unique http://iloveatleti.tumblr.com/

Please don't forget to visit these excellent sites:

www.madridatleticos.com

www.facebook.com/madridatleticos

www.AtleticoFans.com

www.facebook.com/AtleticoFans

The Super One

12th September 2012

The end of August brought a solid 4-0 home Liga victory (vs Bielsa's Athletic Bilbao and another huge European success as Atletico raised their fourth trophy in 2 years, this time destroying Chelsea waltzing their way to a final 4-1 score. Falcao, man of the match, man of the month scored a double hat trick four days apart and led to rumors on his upcoming sale in the next transfer windows as his father claimed him a lifelong Real Madrid supporters. The Colombian star striker during the international break reinforced his compromise to the red and whites and assured everyone willing to listen that he wished to win even more silverware with Atleti in the future. On the other side of the balance the unquestioned best rojiblanco ambassador ever, Fernando Torres received continuous support from the rival rojiblanco fans at Monaco in a night to remember. Fernando, come home.

Susanne (@Mirai_Torres on Twitter) from the German Peña and Gert (@ssdshirt on Twitter) from the Belgian one are on today's show to tell us about their trip to Monaco. Martin Rosenow (@atletideneptuno on Twitter) , who will be appearing often on the show adds the overseas international touch.

Besides the SuperCup that seemed to cover all other news we discuss Atlético's debt which led UEFA to temporarily block the prize money for the previous as part of the Economical Fair Play policy. Atlético (the only major European side to be warned by UEFA) claim there is no reason to receive the warning and that their payments are in order. More news on this front in weeks to come.

Gary is cofounder of www.madridatleticos.com writes for US based ForzaFutbol and Madrid based magazine European Vibe.

Ricardo Menendez co hosts the Spanish version of the show Esto es Atleti. He writes for www.forzaatleti.com and has contributed to www.lavidaenrojiblanco.com www.spanishfootball.info and www.madridatleticos.com.

Derek is part of the dutch Atletico Peña. He writes for and co owns Atletico Fans www.atleticofans.com

Please don't forget to visit these excellent sites:

www.madridatleticos.com

www.facebook.com/madridatleticos

www.AtleticoFans.com

www.facebook.com/AtleticoFans

August 24th 2012

The One after the long summer

We asked three good friends and Atleti specialists to join us on this season opener: Dani Hidalgo (@danihidalgo on Twitter) is Atletico de Madrid reporter for Spanish Diario As, Martin Rosenow (@atletideneptuno on Twitter) reporter for AtleticoFans.com and Billy Edwards (@BillyEdwards94) writes for MadridAtleticos and contributes to many others and has come to be reknown as the best Atlético cantera (youth system) specialist there is around. Bad news though is that unfortunately our overworked Gary missed the season starter but he will be back soon.

A lot to talk about: Post Europa League Offseason, Preseason, the kick off schedules, match day 1 vs Levante, rising star Oliver Torres, cantera - the new hope, the player list growing thinner by the day and the upcoming Supercup vs Chelsea among other. We hope you like the "Made in Spain" audio intro for the episode to rev you up for Monaco ¡Aupa Atleti!

Gary is cofounder of www.madridatleticos.com writes for US based ForzaFutbol and Madrid based magazine European Vibe.

Ricardo Menendez co hosts the Spanish version of the show Esto es Atleti. He writes for www.forzaatleti.com and has contributed to www.lavidaenrojiblanco.com www.spanishfootball.info and www.madridatleticos.com.

Derek is part of the dutch Atletico Peña. He writes for and co owns Atletico Fans www.atleticofans.com

Please don't forget to visit these excellent sites:

www.madridatleticos.com

www.facebook.com/madridatleticos

www.AtleticoFans.com

www.facebook.com/AtleticoFans

and ours!

[email protected]

www.thisisatleti.com

www.facebook.com/thisisatleti

www.twitter.com/thisisatleti

Your comments and feedback are always welcome. You can contact us through email, Twitter or Facebook. We will soon be back for another share of red and white passion. Stay tuned!

If you would like to advertise on This is Atleti please contact us: [email protected]

May 15th 2012

The One when we were chamions again

¡Campeones! Wednesday 9th of May saw Atleti collect its 5th European trophy, 3rd in 3 seasons. The glorious win at Bucharest with 2 goals of tournament top scorer Falcao and a great third one by Diego. Will these be the last European goals to be scored for Atlético by the two excellent marquee players?

The end of La Liga left Atleti just one point away from qualifying for Champions League football next season. The sadness anyway at El Madrigal was on the other side where Villareal was relegated as a consequence of Atleti's 0-1 victory in the closing gameday. Sad day for the yellow submarine.

We have a look ahead at what to expect from the squad in terms of getting reinforcement in key positions and leave mentions of the season and a more thorough look at la cantera for a season finale episode where we hope to have our good friend Martin Rosenow tell us his experience as corresponsal for This is Atleti at the Colombian friendly matches. Stay tuned we haven't closed for summer yet.

Gary is cofounder of www.madridatleticos.com writes for US based ForzaFutbol and Madrid based magazine European Vibe.

Ricardo Menendez co hosts the Spanish version of the show Esto es Atleti. He writes for www.forzaatleti.com and has contributed to www.lavidaenrojiblanco.com www.spanishfootball.info and www.madridatleticos.com.

Derek is part of the dutch Atletico Peña. He writes for and co owns Atletico Fans www.atleticofans.com

Please don't forget to visit these excellent sites:

www.madridatleticos.com

www.facebook.com/madridatleticos

www.AtleticoFans.com

www.facebook.com/AtleticoFans

and ours!

[email protected]

www.thisisatleti.com

www.facebook.com/thisisatleti

www.twitter.com/thisisatleti

Your comments and feedback are always welcome. You can contact us through email, Twitter or Facebook. We will soon be back for another share of red and white passion. Stay tuned!

If you would like to advertise on This is Atleti please contact us: [email protected]