The Colchoneros’ strong second half of the season has whetted their appetite for more. But is it enough to break into the Real-Barça phalanx again and play for the title? Atletico in the check.
Divided pre-season
After a first season to forget, failure in the CL group stage and discussions about the coach, Diego Simeone once again got his act together in the 2022/23 season. “El Cholo”, who will soon complete a dozen years as head coach at the club, stabilised the team. And Antoine Griezmann was in top form, possibly even the most outstanding player in La Liga in the end (15 goals, 16 assists). As the best team in the second half of the season by far, Atletico were only one point short of catching moody city rivals Real. In the end, champions FC Barcelona were too far behind.
Transfers: Quality for the defence – What will become of Joao Felix?
But this final spurt was fun. Is there more to come this time? Are the transfers fuelling the hopes of the aficionados in the Civitas Metropolitano?
Well, the Colchoneros have tinkered with their defence in particular. With veteran Cesar Azpilicueta (33, played eleven years for Chelsea), former Freiburg player Caglar Söyüncü (27, relegated with Leicester), left-back Javi Galan (28, 127 La Liga games, last for Celta Vigo) and Uruguayan defensive talent Santiago Mourino (21, Racing Club de Montevideo), they added mass and quality. The first three are candidates for Simeone’s starting line-up.
Meanwhile, the “eternal talent” Joao Felix, who is still contractually bound to the Red and Whites until 2027, has returned from his loan to Chelsea FC. Whether the 23-year-old Portuguese attacking dribbler and big earner has a future at Atleti? Open. Sometimes he is linked with PSG, sometimes he publicly dreams of Barça, sometimes Saudi Arabia beckons.
One thing is clear: even without Joao Felix, Atletico, who have been linked with PSG striker Marco Verratti (30), were able to develop pressure up front last season. So the Madrilenians are definitely interested in getting the Portuguese off the payroll and still strengthening their team elsewhere.
The forecast
If Griezmann, now 32, remains fit and game, he will also make Alvaro Morata, Memphis Depay and Angel Correa better. The new defensive talents can also further stabilise the Atletico defence, so that, on the one hand, advancing to the knockout phase of the Champions League appears to be a mandatory number, but on the other hand, it may even be possible to attack the top. A 2-1 win over English champions Manchester City on the lucrative marketing tour in the Far East is more likely to consolidate such ambitions.
But it is also clear that for Atletico to become champions for the third time under Simeone, after 2014 and 2021, both Real and Barça will have to show weaknesses. As a reminder, the Rojiblancos did not manage a single victory against the two big teams last season (including Copa del Rey 0/1/4). This misery must also be put to an end if they are to make it big.
