When Jose Gimenez rose highest to divert Koke's corner into the back of the net against Eibar last season, he probably didn't realise he'd be scoring Atletico Madrid's last from the set play for some time. That goal back in February, Week 23 of the 2015/16 campaign, has been met with a complete inability to make the most of corner kicks in recent months, a shocking statistic for such a typically well organised side. A total of 246 corners have failed to end up in the net in the last 24 games, 144 in the final weeks of 2015/16 and 102 in the new season, with their struggles extending across all competitions. Koke has been in charge of most set-pieces recently, firing in 78 this campaign to no avail, marking out yet another area of improvement facing Atletico in a difficult time for Diego Simeone and his players.A second consecutive away defeat in LaLiga means that Diego Simeone's side have now recorded their lowest points total at this stage of the season since the Argentine took charge of the club in 2011.
However, it's February 2014 which marks the last time Atleti lost two consecutive away fixtures in the league, who fell short against Almeria and Osasuna, either side of a 3-0 victory against Real Valladolid at the Estadio Vicente Calderon. That season, Los Rojiblancos went on to lift the league title by three points although in just 11 games they've dropped exactly half the points squandered in the entirety of that LaLiga campaign. "We must accept that Atletico are not doing well at the moment," said experienced defender Juanfran. "Our demands on ourselves are very high. We must analyse things and work hard." LaLiga players will now link up with their national sides as the international break commences, and Atletico will face a tough task to rekindle their league form on return, as they host city rivals Real Madrid at home in two weeks.
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