Mbappé’s Real Madrid, Lamine Yamal’s Barça… What if Diego Simeone’s Atlético de Madrid were the most credible candidate for the title at the time these lines are written? The question at least has the merit of being asked, since with eleven victories in a row in all competitions, the team from the Spanish capital is quite simply the best team in Europe statistically. This Sunday, the Colchoneros also got ahead of their Merengue neighbors and returned to the Blaugranas, awaiting the Barcelona meeting against Leganés this evening.
The question that arises, inevitably, is where this Atlético de Madrid will stop. In Spain, the media are full of superlatives for this Simeone team which has managed to reinvent itself again and again. Faithful to his principles, the Argentine coach keeps the same basics: intensity, sacrifice and rather direct play. Above all, it is the different individuals who have brought new life to the team. The explosion of the surprising Giuliano Simeone, the confirmation of Pablo Barrios, a Lenglet who regains his sensations or even a perfectly integrated Julian Alvarez, among others, have been grafted onto a hard core of players like Jan Oblak, José Maria Giménez or Antoine Griezmann which are at an excellent level.
A workforce running at full capacity
It must be said that Diego Simeone was spoiled by his leaders last summer, and is counting on an XXL squad. In terms of squad depth, he is perhaps even better off than his counterparts Hansi Flick and Carlo Ancelotti. Against Getafe, he was thus able to afford to bring in players of the level of Nahuel Molina, Alexander Sorloth (both decisive on the goal), Robin Le Normand, Koke and Angel Correa, while other players who would start in a lot of clubs like Connor Gallagher, Reinildo, Axel Witsel, Rodrigo Riquelme or César Azpilicueta did not even come into play. The Argentine coach also manages very its squad well and, where some teams are starting to stick their tongues out, Simeone’s regular rotations, without the team’s level dropping, allow Atlético to run at full speed.
Management that delights players. “I have no ties to anyone. Look at Koke, who has been a hugely important player in recent years, he knows that if we only need him for 20 minutes, he comes in and performs.”explained Diego Simeone after this little derby against Getafe. But the Argentinian still refuses to talk about titles, insisting on his philosophy of party to party (match after match, Editor’s note), not wanting to look ahead to the coming months. Still, if the Colchoneros continue at this pace, it will be more and more difficult for El Cholo to avoid sticking the label of serious candidate for the Liga title on the forehead of his team…
