Madrid clubs have workto do to win

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This article was published 27/07/2019 (2589 days ago), so information in it may no longer be current.

Ahead of their season opener at home to Getafe on Aug. 18, Atletico Madrid is trying to blood-in a handful of new players — potential contributors manager Diego Simeone hopes will at least match the success of the previous generation of Colchoneros, which won La Liga in 2014, the Copa del Rey in 2013, the Europa League in each of 2010, 2012 and 2018 and which progressed all the way to the Champions League final in both 2014 and 2016, losing on each occasion to none other than Real Madrid.

Nine new players have already been signed, and Simeone’s primary lineup could include as many as six new starters to begin the 2019-20 campaign.

Nineteen-year-old attacker Joao Felix headlines the group of additions, having joined Atletico at a club-record 126-million-euro fee from Porto. Simeone will likely tinker with him as part of striking trident alongside Diego Costa and Alvaro Morata in upcoming friendlies, although against both Numancia and Chivas Guadalajara, he deployed the Portugal international on the right wing.

Both full-backs — Kieran Trippier and Renan Lodi — are also new, as are midfielders Marcos Llorente and Hector Herrera and forward Ivan Saponjic. Atletico have been able to justify their summer spending due to Antoine Griezmann’s switch to Barcelona and the approaches of Bayern Munich and Manchester City for Lucas Hernandez and Rodri, respectively. At the same time, aging players — albeit key influences in the club’s recent successes — Juanfran, Filipe Luis and Diego Godin were given free transfers.

“A cycle of players has come to an end. The new ones are coming excited to learn,” midfielder Saul Niguez told reporters ahead of Friday’s derby. “It’s always down to (Simeone’s) methods. We talk about the best squad every year, but results talk. Names don’t matter; it’s about results at the end of the season.”

Results have so far eluded Real Madrid during the exhibition schedule, and on Thursday, Marca described the mood amongst the squad as “sombre.” Back-to-back third-place finishes, in which they came behind both Atletico and Barcelona, meant that this summer was always going to be one of anxious preparation, and last weekend, their nearly full-strength side lost 3-1 to Bayern Munich. Three days later, they were beaten by Arsenal on penalties.

Overshadowing everything for the Meringues the past few weeks has been the situation of Gareth Bale, with Zinedine Zidane angling to force the Welshman out of the club. Even after Bale scored in the second half against the Gunners, Zidane wryly commented that the 30-year-old simply hadn’t wanted to play against Bayern. On Friday, Chinese outfit Jiangsu Suning made a second bid for the winger — one Madrid has been widely reported to have accepted.

Even the 100-million-euro acquisition of Eden Hazard from Chelsea — a move that should finally address the already yearlong absence of Cristiano Ronaldo — hasn’t been enough to foster positivity within the Madrid setup, and recent injuries to Marco Asensio, Brahim Diaz and Ferland Mendy have further clouded the atmosphere.

“It worries me, and above all, it bothers me,” Zidane told reporters, adding he wasn’t even thinking about who would replace Asensio — such was his disillusionment. “Our squad is the one we have here,” he continued. “We will continue working, competing and trying to make things better on the field.”

Hazard’s addition alone should have been enough to buoy Madrid as it entered the pre-season. The signings of defender Eder Militao and striker Luka Jovic also seemed to signal the start of a generational shift at the Bernabeu, a process that might otherwise have been seen as reason for excitement. But the Bale drama and injuries, never mind the recollection of last term’s abysmal start, have worked together to reduce expectations before a meaningful ball has even been kicked.

Both Madrid clubs should have approached this summer as an opportunity to prepare for an assault on the top of the table, where Barcelona ended last season and seven of the past 10. Instead, it’s only Atletico who appear to have the spirit for a meaningful challenge. For now, at least, they are the superior side in the best derby in the world.

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