The footballing wine of La Liga is now flowing once again in Spain, after a two-month drought that witnessed the country’s first ever World Cup win. Barcelona, naturally, quickly imposed themselves as everyone’s team to beat, whipping Racing Santander in a way only they know how, while perennial antagonists Real Madrid unexpectedly struggled to perform against what turned out to be a tough Mallorca side. With two points already separating La Liga’s big two, the rivalry between them has been reignited from day one.
Indeed, the odds of another team toppling this dominant duo are virtually nonexistent. After the gruelling two-horse race that the nation watched with wonder last season, one could safely have a better chance of picking winning lottery numbers over a rupture between top two in the standings, such is the gulf in quality that separates the “best” from the “rest” of La Liga.
One club that is determined to break up the current order are last season’s Europa League winners Atletico Madrid. The capital’s second side suffered a horrendous start to their previous campaign, hovering above the relegation zone and flirting with the prospect of dropping into the Segunda Division for a considerable number of weeks, before finally getting their act together and eventually finishing in mid-table.
The Start of Something New
Reaching the final of the Europa League and Copa del Rey sent moral at Atletico sky-high, proving to all concerned that silverware was not the right of a chosen few. The team after all, have been living in the shadow of big brother Real Madrid for 14 years now, watching assiduously as their neighbours have scooped one trophy after another since the turn of the century. The last time that Los Colchoneros managed to beat their city rivals was during the 1999/2000 season. Last year the Rojiblancos came close to ending that run and quenching their thirst for a Derbi Madrileno conquest, but were edged 3-2 on both occasions of the Primera calendar.
Near the end of the season, everything had changed for the Vicente Calderon outfit though. They jumped hurdle after hurdle in Europe’s second blue-ribbon competition, beating the likes of Sporting Lisbon, Valencia and Liverpool before striking a final showdown with Fulham at the HSH Nordbank Arena in Hamburg.
Atletico made history that night, winning their first major honour since the 1996 La Liga title, and their first continental one since 1962’s Cup Winners Cup. They might have slipped a week later to Sevilla in the Copa del Rey final, but the message had already been sent: They were back with a bang.
Able to hold on to star men such as Sergio Aguero and World Cup sensation Diego Forlan, the Atletico hierarchy knew very well what to do in order to take that vital step forward and up their game, making signings such as left back Filipe Luis and promising youngster Fran Merida. Led by Forlan, who made a splash at the summer’s festivities in South Africa, Madrid’s second side were keen to put their foot down from the moment a ball was kicked in the 2010/11 campaign.
That did not take too much time. The Mattress Makers unpredictably dominated Internazionale in the UEFA Super Cup; the entire team was signing from the same hymn sheet against last season’s treble winners. The pic of the bunch, a certain Jose Antonio Reyes, merits much credit and applause, having simply schooled the ageing and pace-lacking Cristian Chivu on the game’s basics for the entire evening. A fine display indeed from an immensely gifted player who has at last started to show just why Arsene Wenger signed him six years ago for Arsenal believing the Spaniard to be destined for the very top.
The same ensued as the domestic season got going, and Atletico thrashed visiting side Sporting de Gijon by four goals to nil. With the entire team functioning as well-knit single structure, it has been no surprise to see immediate results, with the Los Colchoneros sitting atop the La Liga standings. Should things continue as they are, another season of achievement for Quique Sanchez Flores’s men looks on the horizon.
Just a Dream?
It would be perhaps a little naive to think that Atletico Madrid have a genuine chance of breaking into the top-two, at least this year. A talented side they may be, but the current Europa League holders do not match Barcelona and Real Madrid, especially for strength in depth, and have failed to show the consistency required in recent seasons in order to participate in the annual Bernabeu-Camp Nou duel. They have however, the ability to once again produce fruitful runs in both European and domestic cup competitions. And a taste for silverware can go a long way.
With just 21 out of a possible 25-man squad, injuries and a drop in form could seriously hamper Atletico’s chances of competing at the top end of La Liga this season: Forlan and Aguero are the only true, gifted strikers available, and while reinforcements in the forward department were greatly needed, the club surprisingly neglected the issue over the summer.
Atletico Madrid have seen their campaign blown off course too many times in recent years. After all that has happened to the squad in the past months, now would be the perfect time for them to truly make their mark in La Liga, and show that the competition to Pep Guardiola and Jose Mourinho’s boys is not buried six feet under after all.
