Despite only contracting a few high-profile signings, Atlético de Madrid’s total spending bill during the Summer has exceeded 100M€. Similar to those newcomers, new players were expected to bring the club to new heights. However, this has been far from the case.
Los Rojiblancos are currently fifth in La Liga, eight points behind league leaders Real Madrid. This article examines the tactical, personnel, and strategic issues behind their disappointing start.
By the end of the last season, Atlético de Madrid came to the conclusion that their midfield lacked energy. While Conor Gallagher arrived that season as a high-priority signing, his limited technical ability has proven problematic against defensively compact opponents, rendering his energy and work rate less effective.
This is why Los Rojiblancos signed Villarreal playmaker Álex Baena. He became the midfielder behind the attack as soon as he joined the side. His technical skills and tactical soundness make him one of the best advanced playmakers in La Liga.
However, his progress was halted by appendicitis, which kept him off the pitch for eighteen days during September. Baena’s absence was keenly felt, since coach Diego Simeone doesn’t have a similar profile in his squad.
Alex Baena
Welcome to Atletico Madrid (reupload) pic.twitter.com/GXBu5x7iDq
— Kieran (@Kieran_MCFC_) July 17, 2025
Atlético have plenty of deep-lying playmakers, but the same cannot be said about a more advanced role in Zone 14 (just in front of the penalty box), often referred to as mediapunta in Spain.
So, the club invested in Real Betis midfielder Johnny Cardoso, most likely to supplement the departures of Saúl, Thomas Vermeeren, and Rodrigo De Paul. Together with Koke and Pablo Barrios, he has impressed in the position, mixing stability and elegance.
The fundamental issue remains: against defensively compact opponents, possession alone proves insufficient when most midfielders prioritize control over penetration. This has often resulted in a mental block, where players battle to come up with new ways of bypassing tight formations.
Another issue may have to do with Diego Simeone’s style. He prefers a 4-4-2 setup, the system deprives him of wide players, as it doesn’t include wingers. The coach tends to use his son, Giuliani Simeone, on the left, and Nico González on the right. Neither of them sticks to the touchline, which further congests the central channels.
Although it may be efficient to overcrowd some targeted zones in specific situations, it leaves the flanks unfilled. This often becomes a concern as Atlético de Madrid have no choice but to rely on the brilliance of their two forwards to make a difference.
At the back, Atlético have not improved their backline significantly, resulting in notable weaknesses. Robin Le Normand and Clément Lenglet are tall defenders. (187 and 186 cm) But their physical fragility often leads them to lose aerial duels against stronger strikers.
For Le Normand, it can be argued that his tactical soundness makes up for it. The same cannot be said of Lenglet, who has been guilty of more than one blunder. Because he often panics under pressure, he’s become the weak link that teams have tried to exploit this season in La Liga.
6 – Tan solo Djené Dakonam 🇹🇬 (8), Chimy Ávila 🇦🇷 (7) y Domingos Duarte 🇵🇹 (7) han visto más tarjetas rojas en @LaLiga en las últimas 10 temporadas que Clement Lenglet 🇫🇷 (6). Expulsado.#atleti ❤🤍 pic.twitter.com/U53noefhl0
— OptaJose (@OptaJose) October 5, 2025
In the game against Celta Vigo (1-1), Clément Lenglet received a red card for two careless tackles, effectively leaving Los Rojiblancos down to ten men by half-time.
Another player who has struggled to convince is David Hancko. While not strictly his fault for playing out of position, his performances in the left-back role have been dull, and he hasn’t impressed, though he’s not catastrophic either.
Questions need to be raised about why the coach or the club pushed for his signing, considering his best performances have come in the center-back position. Perhaps Hancko has been given few chances to excel in his preferred position, where the blame would fall on the board for its scouting instead of the player’s.
On the other side of the pitch, Atlético de Madrid are effectively left without a striker. Antoine Griezmann cannot run as much as he used to due to his advanced age (34), and hasn’t found a suitable role for himself. This has often led to him disappearing through the games, incapable of making an impact. In eight La Liga appearances, Griezmann has only scored one goal.
Antoine Griezmann becomes the first player to score 200 goals for Atlético Madrid 😮🙌 pic.twitter.com/LbbWKm2mq7
— OneFootball (@OneFootball) September 30, 2025
Despite Julian Álvarez’s impressive individual performances, Simeone has not found an ideal partner for him. Alexander Sørloth, who’s scored only two goals in seven La Liga matches, has struggled to meet expectations.
His limited technical ability means he rarely contributes to the build-up play, leaving the team short of options when movement is needed to pull defenders out of central areas in the box.
Recent weeks have provided cause for optimism. For the first time in two years, Atlético de Madrid defeated Real Madrid 5-2 in the capital derby two weeks ago. As expected, the victory was inspired by Julian Álvarez, who found himself everywhere on the pitch that night, while Griezmann was benched in favour of Sørloth.
Similarly, Álvarez inspired the victories against Rayo Vallecano (hat-trick in a 3-2 win) and Eintracht Frankfurt (5–1 in the Champions League).
After Harry Kane, Julian Alvarez is probably the most complete Centre Forward in Europe right now.
Link play, runs short or in behind, taps in, long rangers, FKs, Penalties. Even corners… pic.twitter.com/s8usXycjMH
— Talking Tactics (@TalkinTactics) September 28, 2025
One of the reasons fans can expect a different Atléti in the coming weeks is positive signs from Giacomo Raspadori, who also scored against Eintracht Frankfurt. With few performances under his belt up to that point, he demonstrated his worth in that match to Diego Simeone, who may grant him more playing time after the international break.
He may feature in a friendly against Inter, scheduled for October 10th. Atlético’s first months have been impacted by Baena’s injuries and many newcomers, which means the head coach is still finding his ideal formula. However, with Álvarez proving his worth and Raspadori’s involvement, there are reasons to believe that at least the team’s attacking issues can be solved.
