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Atlético Madrid quick to pounce on Barça weakness after Lionel Messi makes way | Sid Lowe

Atlético’s sharp thinking and ability to strike when a rare chance is presented earned them a draw against Barcelona, who must now make do without MessiAtlético Madrid took the free-kick but their captain acted like they hadn’t and Koke Resurrección didn’t get up. He was still sitting where Arda Turan had left him, two team-mates over him, two opponents in front of him and the referee looking down at him, seven men standing in a five-metre square, when Filipe Luís poked the ball to Gabi Fernández. An eighth man walked by, barely a metre from him. Barcelona’s full-back turned towards the area and their deep midfielder ambled across, retaking positions they wouldn’t get to. Gabi might as well have whistled...

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Valencia are bottom and fast becoming the old lady who swallowed a fly | Sid Lowe

It is the joint-worst start in their history, and Valencia coach Pako Ayestarán already faces heat in the media and from within the club itselfThe day before Pako Ayestarán flew to Singapore to meet the Valencia owner Peter Lim and discuss becoming the manager at Mestalla, he phoned Gary Neville to ask for his blessing. Neville was the one who had taken him there in the first place, after all, the man who had publicly insisted “when I go, Pako goes”, and now Ayesteran was about to take his job. It was an “awkward” phone call but, if the Englishman wasn’t entirely pleased, he told Ayestarán to go for it. He also told Lim that his former assistant was the...

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