Are Atletico Madrid legitimate contenders for the La Liga title?
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by Foolsgold
I wrote this article for my blog before the La Liga season started so please keep that in mind. Cheers.
Fernando Torres seemingly helped the only club he'd ever known more by leaving then he ever did by staying. Despite leading Atlético Madrid to higher finishes the last three seasons, peaking last season at 7th and an Intertoto Cup bid, and also helping them gain promotion to La Liga after his first season there in 2001-02, the cash injection Los Colchoneros received for selling the 23-year-old might be his biggest contribution so far.
The first thing Atlético needed to do was replace the 15-20 goals a season they expected from El Niño. They arguably did one better by buying 28-year-old striker Diego Forlán from Villareal for €21m, roughly two-thirds of what they received for Torres. Forlán may not be as complete a player as El Niño, but he's just as good a goal-scorer and that's ultimately all Atlético need from him.
Scoring goals was a major issue for Los Colchoneros last season as they only managed 46 in 38 matches, well short of La Liga winners Real Madrid, runners-up FC Barcelona, and third place UEFA Cup repeaters, Sevilla FC, who managed 66, 78, and 64 respectively. Though one player was not going to solve their offensive woes, they needed a major overhaul of their attack.
As part of the Torres deal with Liverpool, Atlético also received enigmatic playmaker Luis Garcia, who can not only play anywhere up front, but can also cover the wings as well. Then they bought another player who can also play multiple positions though is considered best at left wing in SL Benfica captain Simão Sabrosa and topped it off with Real Madrid hero and right winger, José Antonio Reyes, whom they bought from Arsenal for €12m.
In total, they spent roughly €24m on four players who have the capabilities of scoring exponentially more goals than just one, not to mention the €5m that they spent on Cléber Santana from Santos. Add that to the fact they already had a solid group in Mista, Maniche, and Maxi Rodriguez, along with promising younsters U21 World Cup Golden Boot winner Sergio Agüero and Brazilian forward Diego Costa and you've got a team that, at least on paper, should have no problem putting the ball in the back of the net.
Defensively last season, they were fourth in La Liga, only allowing 39 goals, and didn't lose anyone from a solid backline. Mariano Pernía, Antonio López, Pablo Ibáñez, Yourkas Seitaridis, and Luis Perea are all solid backs for club and country with Portugal's Zé Castro and veteran Brazilian Fabiano Eller their to fill in if anyone gets injured.
They are also securely anchored at defensive midfielder with Peter Luccin, Juan Valera, and promising young star and Luis Garcia's cousin, Raúl García and at keep with the addition of on-loan from AC Milan Christian Abbiati to back Leo Franco.
Without a doubt, they are a much deeper squad with more offensive weapons than the year before. Injuries should have less effect on them since they appear to be two and three deep at almost every position. I'm not sure if theyll be able to knock Real Madrid or FC Barcelona off the top of the La Liga table, but they should easily contend for a Champions' League spot.
A major issue will be how all the players, new and old, gel and if they'll be able to develop a solid chemistry to produce the kind of performances that they're going to need week in and week out to compete with the big boys. If their preseason is any indication, fitness considered, they could very well walk away with their tenth title as Campeones de Liga.
Originally posted here
