Next December, Diego Simeone will celebrate 12 years at the helm of Atlético de Madrid. And we can say it clearly, the Argentinian is a legend of the club and without a doubt the best coach in the history of the Madrid team, which he brought back to the forefront, having notably won the Liga and reached two Champions League finals. A hell of a love story which also seems far from over, since the former Albiceleste player, under contract until 2024, should be back for a few more years.
But above all, the Argentinian knows how to continually reinvent himself so that his team remains unpredictable and competitive. This season again, the Colchoneros are in good shape and are in third place in the Liga standings, three points behind the leader Merengue, and with a game in hand what’s more. The Rojiblancos have won their last six league outings and are a strong contender for the title.
General league table
|
#
|
Team
|
Pts
|
J
|
DIF
|
G
|
NOT
|
D
|
BP
|
B.C.
|
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
|
1 |
|
28 |
11 |
15 |
9 |
1 |
1 |
23 |
8 |
|
2 |
|
28 |
11 |
12 |
9 |
1 |
1 |
25 |
13 |
|
3 |
|
25 |
10 |
16 |
8 |
1 |
1 |
25 |
9 |
|
4 |
|
24 |
11 |
11 |
7 |
3 |
1 |
23 |
12 |
|
5 |
|
19 |
11 |
6 |
5 |
4 |
2 |
20 |
14 |
See the full ranking
An unfair image?
But above all, the Colchoneros have shown a face, for some time now, which goes against clichés and prejudices. Often presented as a particularly defensive and very aggressive team, often playing the bus, Atlético is the best attack in La Liga with 25 goals in 10 championship matches. It is also the third team to score the most goals in Europe in the calendar year 2023, tied with… Manchester City! The Madrilenians thus display great ease in creating chances and are far from being a team focused solely on defense, which is perhaps even the weak point of the team in recent years. Atlético also the best team in Spain – based on league points – in 2023.
Diego Simeone, in a 3-5-2 that has become usual since the 2020/2021 season already, can also count on players in good shape. Antoine Griezmann, obviously, but also Alvaro Morata, author of 9 goals in 12 matches in all competitions this season. We also have to mention players like Mario Hermoso, Nahuel Molina or the indestructible Koke, while Rodrigo Riquelme, loaned to Girona last year, is also starting to make his mark. El Cholo also managed to recover a Saúl Ñíguez who seemed lost for football. Suffice to say that this season, the race for the title promises to be exciting in La Liga.
