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In December 2011, former midfielder Diego Simeone arrived as Atletico Madrid manager. The club lay 10th in the league and were without a trophy in 15 years. 2 years later Atleti pipped era defining Barcelona and Real Madrid sides to win the 2014 La Liga title and reach a Champions League final. After another UCL final appearance in 2016, Simeone guided Atletico to their 2nd league title in 10 years in 2021.
Since the start of the current season however, Atletico have dropped off the pace in the league beside struggling in their Champions League group.
What exactly has gone wrong?
Simeone's Atleti have always been known for their defence-first counter attacking 4-4-2 system. However the players currently at the club are more suited to a technical possession-based style. As a result, Simeone has already used 8 different formations to bring the best out of his players. Such a frequent change of formation and playing style is bound to affect collective team performances.
The bedrock of Los Rojiblancos' success over the years has been the imperious Jan Oblak. The Slovenian goalkeeper prevented 9.8 more goals than xG predicted in 2020-21, the biggest overperformance in Europe. However this season, he has been error-prone, already conceding 6.1 more goals than xG. This is why despite facing less shots on average compared to last season, Atleti have the 9th worst defence in La Liga.
The attack also isn't doing enough to compensate for defensive frailties.
The team's creativity numbers have plummeted. Luis Suárez has deteriorated massively since last season, and the other attackers are failing to take up the mantle. With Griezmann not being the same he was in 2019 and João Félix not pulling up any trees either, the attack has considerably lost its bite. The manager's reluctance to use new signing Matheus Cunha has also raised eyebrows.
Diego Simeone is still working out how to get an undoubtedly talented pool of players to gel together. The process is slow but promises to be rewarding. Are the fans patient enough?