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#3 Unstable and aging squad
After securing the La Liga title by the skin of their teeth in 2013-14, Atletico Madrid have endured a bumpy transitional period. The team lost stalwarts Diego Costa and Filipe Luis to Chelsea right after lifting the league trophy. Meanwhile, veteran striker David Villa was shipped off to the United States after a solitary season.
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Atletico Madrid welcomed a fresh batch of players to incorporate the loss of multiple first-team members. Nevertheless, this cycle has repeated itself in every season since. The La Liga side haven't had a stable squad for more than two seasons running, working their way through each year with make-shift and temporary replacements.
In the summer of 2019, the Spanish giants witnessed a complete overhaul of their squad. In response, they employed copious over-age players as their substitutes to power their way through a couple of seasons.
Their inability to plan long-term projects while steadily consolidating prospects in the team has cost Atletico Madrid dearly, with Simeone's men even slumping to fourth in the 2019-20 season. Coupled with the fact that most of the players that they rely on are 27 or above, it is clear that the defending La Liga champions have a tendency to lose track on a periodic basis.
#2 Minimal transfer business ahead of La Liga season
On July 12, 2021, Atletico Madrid agreed to an initial €35m transfer fee to sign Rodrigo De Paul from Udinese on a five-year contract. Since then, aside from a free transfer of 20-year-old Marcos Paulo from Fluminense, Los Colchoneros have nothing to show for in terms of recruitment.
It is widely known that Simeone's team lacks serious depth, yielding to a mid-season selection crisis last time. The absence of some players due to injuries and suspensions forced Simeone to experiment with the squad, employing various tactical formations.
However, this massively backfired since the players used by the Argentine either couldn't adapt to the new structure or simply lacked the adequate abilities to thrive in such an environment.
Consequently, the then La Liga favorites blew off a tremendous start to the campaign, winning only four out of 11 matches in a span of three months. With no significant signings other than De Paul to cover for this dropping, there is a high probability that Atletico Madrid might slump to similar circumstances once again this season. That could result in them forfeiting the La Liga title.
#1 Atletico Madrid's dependence on rivals' struggles
Arguably the most concerning fact for Los Rojiblancos' fans is that their team has almost solely prospered during a no-conflict period. This is to say that Atletico Madrid have won most of their domestic silverware, while their closest rivals, Real Madrid and Barcelona, have endured a severe lapse in form.
The 86 points that won Atletico Madrid their second title in 25 years is the lowest tally accumulated by a La Liga-winning side since 2008 when Bernd Schuster's Real Madrid topped the league with 85 points.
Even so, the league did not get a winner until the very last day. A throwback to their 2013-14 La Liga triumph would reveal a similar state of affairs. Atletico had to secure a hard-fought draw against Barcelona on the final matchday to be crowned Spanish champions.
Diego Simeone has worked wonders with the Atletico Madrid team, taking them from lowly mid-table finishes to fighting toe-to-toe with two of the biggest teams in all of Europe.
However, it cannot be denied that both of their La Liga wins came under much favorable circumstances. In hindsight, if either Real Madrid or Barcelona were to discover their destructive form in the coming season, things could get ugly very soon for El Pupas.
Also read: Top 5 attackers in La Liga (August 2021)
