Atletico finally recorded their first win of the campaign on Saturday, but clouds continue to gather over Abel Resino’s men.

As one half of Madrid mourned the loss of their 100% winning streak, the other finally found themselves with something to shout about after Atletico bagged their first victory of a season that was already looking to hit crisis point. Having taken just three points from the fifteen available prior to Saturday, the 2-1 defeat of Real Zaragoza will come as a much needed shot in the arm to Resino’s beleaguered side.

That said, it was a performance that was far from a walk in the park, with Atletico relying on a penalty save from teenage keeper David De Gea, and some frantic last-ditch defending at 2-1, before the points were eventually secured. That result levers Atletico up to 14th in the table, but in the long term will have done little to abate the growing sense of unease lingering around the Vicente Calderon.

First and foremost, the club has been rocked by a widening rift between managing director Miguel Angel Gil and the Atletico supporters. There has always been a mistrust of the Gil administration after promises of financial support made upon his takeover of the club have failed to materialise. With that in mind, a recent open letter from Gil to the club’s supporters was spectacularly misjudged, shrugging his shoulders at the recent lack of trophies by suggesting Atletico didn’t have the sufficient financial clout. That’s right, the same financial clout he had promised to bring to the post of managing director. As if to add insult to injury, Gil went on to effectively give the finger to his loyal punters by imploring them, ‘to be happier and live in a world of peace and tolerance.’

If ‘peace and tolerance’ was what he was after, Gil would have been dismayed at what happened next, as a mob of five thousand supporters staged a noisy protest before the 1-1 draw with Racing Santander, in protest at the way the club was being run. The mood has not been improved by a perceived lack of activity in the transfer market, with Atletico looking short of personnel at both ends. God help Abel Resino if Forlan or Aguero get injured. He’ll have a full scale riot on his hands.

Saturday’s result was greeted with jubilation by the Atletico fans, but you get the feeling that things are about to get worse before they get better. A dismal start to their Champions League campaign can only realistically be saved by winning the rest of their games, which include two clashes with Chelsea. Meanwhile, manager Resino will continually be looking over his shoulder, particularly if the pressure continues to mount on Gil. Scapegoats don’t come much mores presentable than a manager who isn’t winning games. All the pre-season talk might have been about Kaka and Ronaldo, but it looks like the real drama will be taking place in the red and white half of Madrid.