2 July 2007, by Sean Gillen

Atletico Madrid 2006/07 season review

Up and down season for Maniche, Costinha, Ze Castro

Despite their tag as perennial underachievers, Atletico Madrid were widely expected to secure a top six finish in La Liga after yet another summer of extravagant spending ahead of the 2006/07 season.

A significant financial outlay saw the arrival of Portuguese trio Maniche, Costinha and young Academica defender Ze Castro. Argentine wonderkid Sergio Aguero also arrived for a club record 25 million euros, while exciting midfielder Jurado and Spanish international Mariano Pernia were also added by new manager Javier Aguirre.

Atletico recorded four wins and a draw from their opening six games, with Costinha starting the first four matches. Maniche, who was given extra time off at the start of the season after his World Cup exploits, was handed his first start for the visit to city rivals Real Madrid in October, as Atletico were unlucky to come away with only a 1-1 draw.

Ze Castro had to be more patient in his quest for action behind first choice central defensive pairing Luis Perea and Pablo Ibanez. However, an injury to Pablo in November gave the young Portuguese his chance in a side that relied on a strong defence, as goals were proving difficult to come by.

Castro impresses

The 24-year-old played 15 out of Atletico’s next 17 matches, particularly impressing in a 1-1 draw against Barcelona at the Nou Camp, and scoring winning goals in 1-0 victories over Getafe and Osasuna as the team occupied a European place going into the second half of the season.

Things were going less well for Costinha, who struggled to see much action after his early run. Aguirre tried Costinha and Maniche in the same side for a three-game period in October, with disastrous results as Atletico picked up just one point and failed to score.

As a result, it was often the case that only one of the two started in the Atletico midfield. Maniche was seen as the first choice after he scored twice in a 3-0 win at Levante in November and then hit the only goal of the game at home against Getafe, although disciplinary problems in January soured his relationship with Aguirre.

The team’s focus was solely on the league after a last-16 exit from the Copa Del Rey against Osasuna, but inconsistency remained a feature of Atletico’s season. Indeed, a six-match unbeaten run in January was the longest the side went without defeat all season. Nevertheless, they maintained their place in the top six going into the final months of the campaign.

Poor run proves costly

However, a poor run of form beginning in late April saw them lose three out of five matches, resulting in a battle with in-form Villarreal and Zaragoza for the two Uefa Cup spots. Costinha enjoyed more starts in midfield as Maniche struggled with injury, while Ze Castro’s form began to suffer in the closing weeks and Atletico were hammered 6-0 at home by Barcelona.

Although there was a brief upturn in form as Maniche played a starring role in a 4-1 win at Getafe, a costly 3-2 home defeat to Celta in their final home game proved fatal. Despite spending 30 weeks of the season in European places and ending the campaign with a win at Osasuna, Atletico could only manage a 7th place finish and will enter the Intertoto cup in July.

                               Season stats - Maniche

                        Substitute appearances in brackets

                                Season stats - Costinha

                        Substitute appearances in brackets

                              Season stats - Ze Castro

                        Substitute appearances in brackets