Real Madrid came into the Metropolitano on Saturday afternoon with their shovels at the ready, Kylian Mbappe practicing his missive, ready to commit Atletico Madrid’s faint title hopes, and plenty of summer optimism, to the ground for another year. Heavily favoured, the gap between themselves and rivals would extend to 12 points with a derby win, and simultaneously send Los Colchoneros into a disorientating tailspin just eight games in. Given the form guide, many had them in the ground. Only fitting then, that Koke Resurreccion should play a major role in their WWE-Style takedown.

Going into the second half, Real Madrid were level, but by the end of it all, too busy to call 90 minutes, the overriding sensation was that Atletico Madrid had run them over. Much of Xabi Alonso’s post-match attempts at explanations focused on his side failing to compete, and Atleti certainly ran with something extra burning inside them. Yet a major part of the mechanism that helped swing the pendulum towards Atletico, and then again back in their favour after Arda Guler’s sweet connection with Vinicius Junior, was arguably the slowest player on the pitch.

The biggest difference between Alonso’s Real Madrid and Carlo Ancelotti’s through their seven wins to start the season was the immediately noticeable in their first game, when they held 71% of possession, restricted Osasuna to just two shots and racked up 721 passes. While their attacking efforts register a ‘satisfactory’ on the report card, only Kylian Mbappe has exceeded expectations. The major shift has been their work without the ball, a suffocating press, that led Los Blancos to concede just twice from open play before their visit to the Metropolitano.

In part aided by the slight disfiguration in the form a half-fit Jude Bellingham, their press was first denatured, and then almost forgotten about, as if it wasn’t ever a part of Real Madrid’s new regime. Whenever it threatened to get home, a combination of Pablo Barrios or Koke whisked the ball away. What their opponents had in speed and power was outwitted by their opponents’ speed of thought. Never better illustrated than by Fede Valverde lining up Koke from 20 yards away (01:45 below). Sure enough, he read the pass, relishing the sprint in pursuit of his prey. By sleight of hip, Koke skipped around him and launched Atletico on the attack.

Koke masterclass vs Real Madrid(H)

Rolling back the years with this one

— Saint Keeks (@SaintKeeks1) September 28, 2025

“At no point, did we manage to win back the ball in the opponent’s half,” Alonso noted with resignation. “They drew us in and played it long quickly.” Given his proximity, it is hard not to compare those long passes to those Real Madrid’s manager was famed for.

Robin Le Normand’s opener stems from a 45-yard diagonal into the path of Nicolas Gonzalez’s forehead, after which Giuliano Simeone finds the Spain international with the recycled ball. The forever hungry Argentinians snarled in the press for 70 minutes, but were consistently fed high quality ball with which to hatch their bad intentions towards the Real Madrid defence. Sailing irrestibly on an arc beyond Dean Huijsen’s lofty reach, Alexander Sorloth dared not make a meal of such a delicious assist for Atletico’s crucial equaliser.

🇪🇸🔴⚪️ Koke vs Real Madrid:

– 90 minutes
– 1 assist
– 93% pass accuracy
– 43/46 accurate passes
– 4/5 long balls
– 2 clearances
– 1 interception
– 1 tackle

CAPITAN! ❤️🤍

— Atletico Universe (@atletiuniverse) September 27, 2025

‘Magisterial’ Simeone called Koke’s performance, unwittingly quoting the recently retired Ray Hudson’s favourite exultation for Lionel Messi. “With the ball, we couldn’t find solutions either. The game didn’t flow, and well… That’s it, it’s a bad game generally,” Alonso fell short of criticising his own midfield.

Until now, Real Madrid had generally run games at an agreeable pace, one that ensured they could position themselves responsibly, and give sufficient service to their Mbappe and his attacking cohort. With Real Madrid struggling to make their way up the pitch, Valverde and Aurelien Tchouameni found themselves unable to clamp down on Atletico’s escape routes, nor produce their own. In his record-equalling 43rd Madrid derby, Koke ensured that Simeone’s side could lift and lower the tempo where needed.

We're all Koke 😂🥹❤️

— Atlético de Madrid (@atletienglish) September 28, 2025

Age dictates that Koke will at times be exposed, and that to expect an entire season at this level is unjust. With him though, Atletico have made much more sense of their qualities than without him. In his four starts, Los Colchoneros have won three of their four matches, and failed to win any of the other four. The minutes he had at Anfield were Atletico’s best, and Marcos Llorente’s equaliser came courtesy of his captain’s work. Simeone’s astute planning on Saturday had Koke’s technical specifications all over the blueprints.

What he lacks physically, and in terms of sustainability, makes it natural that Simeone and Atletico should rely on others. Yet in replacing him with younger, more mobile and imposing players, still means subtracting an accuracy with the ball, a vision and an understanding of the game that are no less necessary, and increasingly hard to replicate. Or “the personality to play,” as he put it to DAZN afterwards. “It’s a game where you’re going at high speeds, and you give calm to the game.” Just ask Alonso, whose midfield stands out not for the excellent players they do have, but for the absence of the corrective steering system designed by Luka Modric and Toni Kroos.