Why I think Atletico Madrid will win the Champions League
By: Marko Parlain
Tags: Diego Simeone, Atlético Madrid, Footbal, Predictions, Champions League

Atletico Madrid were underwhelming to say the least this year, they scored the lowest amount of points in La Liga since the 2011/2012 season, the talks of Simeone leaving surrounded the team like always, title hopes disappeared very early in the season (if they ever really existed). At the start of the season Atleti basically lost the core of one of their most successful teams in history: talisman Antoine Griezmann was sold to Barca while Juanfran, Godin and Filipe Luis didn’t renew their contracts.

Younger prospect players were also sold like Lucas Hernandez, Rodri and Gelson Martins. 2019/2020 season really needed to come to end and be forgotten about.

Or so it seemed…

Atletico showed that the team and whole club is based on real character. Because, just before the corona-break, Anfield happened. Atletico did the unlikely and beat Liverpool to progress to the Champions League quarterfinals. They beat them the Atletico way, with a 120+ minute goal in the extra-time and with not conceding as the primary target.

I personally believe that Atletico can win the Champions League this year, but I am not going to leave that thought in the air, I’ll try to make a few decent arguments to support that thought.

1. The current form

After Anfield, the Simeone Machine was sparked and not even the 3-month pause could put it out. Since the break Atletico is yet to lose a game, 7 wins and 4 draws which extends their unbeaten record to eighteen matches. Atleti are coming to Lisbon with a lot of confidence and why wouldn’t they be confident? They knocked-out the title holders and probably the best team in the world in a two-legged affair.

2. Quality players

Even though, as I wrote earlier, many important players left the team the quality of the team remained at a decent level. Whopping 120 million Euro acquisition of Joao Felix who is still finding his feet in Madrid proves that the Madrid giant means business.

Their first eleven looks extremely strong. They have the Saul Niguez and Koke duo in midfield, the much-improved Thomas Partey playing his best season ever, Jan Oblak taunted as the best keeper in the world by many. Adding to that Diego Costa, Gimenez, Stefan Savić and Alvaro Morata you get a strong core of players who are long servants of the club.

3. Experience

We all know how many times The Rojiblancos were inches away from the biggest trophy in Europe. Arguments can be maid that they are one of the biggest overachievers in modern football but they’ve lost big games so many times that many people consider them to be the biggest losers. I think it’s unfair. This season could be their year. In the Simeone era they won two Europa Leagues and were two times Champions League runners-up. That’s huge experience at the the biggest stage of all. Atletico know how to beat the big teams and they’ve tasted the flavor of losing, that’s way Atleti shouldn’t be afraid.

4. Diego Simeone

When you think about it, for the past 8 years he has been the manager Atetico is Simeone and Simeone is Atletico, basically synonyms. The Atletico playing style is the playing style implemented and developed by Simeone. He is the best paid manager in the world and maybe he is not the most advanced or the most exciting to watch but what he does bring to the table is results and a philosophy that became the club’s DNA. It is simple, he knows how to win and does it constantly. Losing players is also a constant but he manages to rebuild.

Even when Atletico lose, he knows how to buck his ideas up and try again. A real gentleman with for many people ungentlemanly philosophy of football.

5. This year’s single-leg format and a decent looking draw

Siemone’s style of defending tightly, being tough and patient, play on the counter and wait for the mistake is the style perfect for this years Champions League format where teams play just one match. Which means Atleti have less time to concede a goal, less energy needed to defend the whole game and a much bigger random effect that mostly pays off for the defensive teams.

Atletico Madrid are in the clearly easier side of the draw. They escaped Man City, Barcelona, Juventus, Real Madrid and Bayern while the biggest club on their side of the draw is PSG. Don’t get me wrong PSG surely fits in the best teams in the world but considering how hard the other side looks like many teams would choose Atletico’s position right now. RB Leipzig is a decent opponent, but Atletico is the clear favorite.