But there are positives coming out of Elx. Pablo Barrios made his first appearance since March 10, and Nico Gonzalez scored a brace. Additionally, Obed Vargas and the academy products Julio Díaz and Javier Boñar all put in impressive outings.But the fact is, Atlético have lost four in a row in LALIGA, and this is the Colchoneros’ seventh loss in their last eight matches across all competitions.

Other reserves, like Thiago Almada and Álex Baena, played poorly; after half an hour, Almada was sent off for fouling Elche’s David Affengruber in the box after he lost the ball, which also gave the home team a penalty that André Silva duly dispatched.Final en Elche. pic.twitter.com/Te3Wb27Ass— Atlético de Madrid (@Atleti) April 22, 2026In the second half, Atleti were not able to do much, and poor defending plagued Simeone’s men again. Silva was denied once but Jan Oblak would not keep him from netting the winner in the 75th minute as Atleti mustered only one shot on target after halftime.Here are Into the Calderón’s takeaways for this evening’s loss against Elche.Nico Gonzalez legacy gameFor the second time this season, Nico Gonzalez has scored a brace in a match.

What do those two matches have in common? He played on the right flank, rather than on the left, where he has been slotted for most of the season. 🫤 𝐍𝐎 𝐏𝐔𝐃𝐎 𝐒𝐄𝐑El gran partido de Nico González no tuvo premio🥇 en remates (3)🥇 en acciones con balón (48)🥇 en regates (2/2) 1º en duelos ganados (11/19)🥇 en recuperaciones (3)🥇 en faltas provocadasNo tuvo tanto peso cuando le metieron en izquierda durante… pic.twitter.com/7AcwiKnc9f— Atlético Stats (@atletico_stats_) April 22, 2026On his 10th-minute opener, Nico started the attack, driving the ball forward from his own half before playing a one-two Rodri Mendoza, who delivered a marvelous back-heeled pass to assist.

Then, down to ten men and down a goal on the scoreboard, Nico embarked on a powerful run down the right and scored a fantastic solo goal.Chaos in the first half between Elche and Atletico Madrid 🍿2-2 inside 35 minutes! pic.twitter.com/1kkfbNAJkC— ESPN FC (@ESPNFC) April 22, 2026Giuliano Simeone is in a bit of a form slump, and maybe a bit of competition would be good for El Cholo’s son. And seeing how much more comfortable he appears as a left-footed right winger, maybe it makes more sense to keep Nico next season at a reduced price. If Mateu Alemany can negotiate down with Juventus into the €15 million range, I think that is something the club should consider.Are Almada and Baena running out of chances?Perhaps if Almada does not pick up a red card leading directly to Elche’s second, this match ends differently.

But this match aside, the Argentine just doesn’t look comfortable with the speed and tactical rigor of European football, and these factors are not helping him play his best.Almada has shown he has the ability, but he’s lacking confidence. The former Atlanta United star is too mistake-prone for Cholo Simeone to count on him consistently, and Wednesday was another unfortunate example.Thiago Almada is heading straight out of Atleti this summer. He has talent you can’t teach but he stands out now for his mistakes and hardly got his virtues. https://t.co/QTme1sqSwZ— Jeremy Beren (@JBBeren) April 22, 2026As for Baena, the noise is starting to get quite loud around the Spain international as he now has gone two months without a goal contribution.

When Atlético purchased Baena for €42million from Villarreal, high expectations and the #10 shirt accompanied the talented playmaker, who had created chances for fun in the previous three seasons playing his football at La Cerámica. Baena has not recorded a goal contribution in any of his past 12 appearances, and he last scored a goal in December.🥵 𝐒𝐄𝐂𝐎Otro partido de Álex Baena en el que pasa desapercibido.Sus 12 últimos partidos con el Atleti:❌vs Brujas❌vs Oviedo❌vs Barça❌vs Getafe❌vs Tottenham❌vs Madrid❌vs Barça❌vs Barça❌vs Sevilla❌vs Barça❌vs Real Sociedad❌vs ElcheNo genera un gol… pic.twitter.com/VWtJpZXCVQ— Atlético Stats (@atletico_stats_) April 22, 2026Another potential problem with Baena can be seen in his body language. You c