Colchonero Chat 24: Ringing in the New Year with Euan McTear

Colchonero Chat wishes you a very Happy New Year (unless you’re Esteban Granero) and is most pleased that Atletico Madrid have opened it with a victory.

Euan McTear (@emctear) is a Spanish football journalist, an Atletico writer for Marca English, a senior writer at These Football Times and the author of "Eibar the Brave: The Extraordinary Rise of La Liga's Smallest Team". He is the guest on this edition of the program, hopping on to discuss Atleti's 2-0 win at Gran Canaria on Tuesday. Of particular note: Antoine Griezmann's new hairstyle and (coincidental?) goal, strong performances from Koke and Sime Vrsaljko, as well as continued experimention with Juanfran at right wing and Jose Maria Gimenez in defensive midfield.

The podders then turn their attention to Eibar, Atletico's opponents Saturday. McTear offers insight into this particular iteration of Eibar, including how summer signings Florian Lejeune and Pedro Leon have become key players and how manager Jose Luis Mendilibar has gotten the most out of the Basque side while making them more fun to watch.

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