Atletico Madrid start every season in Spain as rank outsiders for the title, but as Diego Simeone always says, ‘We have to be there in case they slip up.’ This year, that coctail is certainly being stirred, but there is a long way to go until justice is served.
Initially, Atletico had the weakest start of the three, drawing four of their opening nine games, and struggling to assimilate star acquisitions Julian Alvarez and Conor Gallagher. Meanwhile Barcelona started the season in red-hot form, while Real Madrid stuttered, battling their own teething problems with Kylian Mbappe.
Yet a shocking slump in results for the Catalan side mean that going into the final weekend of 2024, the trio are separated by just a point, with both the capital club sides holding a game in hand over the Blaugrana. Flick’s side have collected just five points from their last six games, while Los Colchoneros have reeled off 11 straight victories in all competitions. Head to any reliable sports betting platform and you’ll find much shorter odds than even at the start of the season for Los Rojiblancos to take home a third title under Diego Simeone.
It would be poetic justice for Antoine Griezmann. The French forward, now Atletico’s record goalscorer, has given the very best of his best years to Atletico, and while he does have a Europa League and runners-up medals in the Champions League, is yet to win a league title by simple quirk. His initial switch from Real Sociedad came the summer after Atletico won their first league title under Simeone, and Griezmann’s ill-fated spell at Barcelona coincided with Atletico taking the title during his two-year hiatus.
Few players have given as much not just to Atletico, but also to Spanish football over the last decade. Only the outrageous pairing of Cristiano Ronaldo and Lionel Messi can claim to have eclipsed his shine in the final third over such a long period. Just as the timing of his moves have been unfortunate, so has his timing in terms of his era in many ways.
Since recapturing his form at the Metropolitano, Griezmann has being directing matters for Simeone. A rare complete forward, Griezmann can do it all, and has, except for lifting the trophy. It’s the one hurdle that eludes him, and at 33, father time is in pursuit. With all the ability to coast through games at the top level, he has carried his role out as leading star with a humble work-rate that belongs in any Simeone side. Football is a cruel sport, says the common refrain – if the game has any sense of justice though, it will take mercy on Griezmann this season.
