Conor Gallagher’s whirlwind start to life at Atletico Madrid came to a screeching end on Wednesday night.
The ex-Chelsea midfielder had an evening to forget as Atletico crashed to a 4-0 Champions League defeat at Benfica.
GettyConor Gallagher was introduced as a second-half substitute but could struggled to make an impact[/caption]
Gallagher has started five of Atletico’s last six games in all competitions but was named as substitute for the clash in Lisbon.
He replaced Koke at half time with Benfica a goal to the good but could do little to stop the Portuguese side’s second-half romp.
Spanish outlet Marca provided a damning analysis of Atletico’s failure and Gallagher’s ‘inexplicable’ performance.
Marca handed the England international a rating of four out of ten partly due to him conceding a penalty for a foul on Vangelis Pavlidis which was despatched by the evergreen Angel Di Maria.
Gallagher was not alone in receiving a sub-par rating with seven other players receiving the same score while the remaining stars were handed a score of five.
The 24-year-old will be hoping to put Wednesday’s disaster behind him quickly and has the chance to do so when Atleti travel to Real Sociedad on Sunday in LaLiga.
Diego Simeone’s side sit fourth in the table and five-point adrift of leaders Barcelona following last weekend’s 1-1 draw against neighbours Real Madrid.
Atletico are unbeaten in LaLiga having won four of their eight league games, however a succession of draws appears to be the team’s Achilles heel, having played out four already this term.
Despite Wednesday’s slip-up, Gallagher is enjoying life in the Spanish capital and recently revealed he feels ‘wanted and appreciated’ at the club after his Chelsea departure in August.
“Chelsea are a huge football club, one of the biggest in the world, along with Atletico,” he told The Athletic last month.
Gallagher gave away a penalty just seven minutes after coming onGetty
Marca did not hold back in their brutal assessment of Gallagher’s performance
GettyThe 24-year-old has otherwise made a positive start to life at Atletico Madrid[/caption]
“But I have taken that exciting step of playing Champions League football and challenging for trophies. It just builds me with even more confidence and happiness to play my best football.”
“I’ve felt very wanted and appreciated, which is important for any footballer,” he added.
“I’m really happy to be here and I’m settling in well. I’ve loved my first few weeks. I knew Atletico was always a massive club, a top club in La Liga and doing well in the Champions League. So I was excited to join.”
