It is the story of Atletico Madrid’s season that they managed to win by a five-goal margin last weekend and still leave plenty of questions to be answered. Such a thrashing should be comprehensive and leave no semblance of doubt about a team’s quality. Instead, it simply emphasised the fact that Levante need to regroup - and fast.
Two goals each from Antoine Griezmann and Kevin Gameiro ensured los Colchoneros would return to the Spanish capital happy, and perhaps that was their most important achievement. There was nothing new about their style of play, nor the personnel deployed, but there was at least a clinical edge to their attitude and a spring in their step. Diego Simeone’s squad are certainly capable, but they haven’t looked truly content for a long while.
After such an emphatic scoreline, the narrative should be there to tear up. Previously, it stood to reason that Atleti were lacking creativity, lacking goals and sorely needed the arrival of Diego Costa to inject something new into what had previously been a successful cocktail. In reality, however, that line of argument should not change. The shopping list for January should remain untouched, and upon it should read the names of players of a certain profile.
Despite their five goals, a creative playmaker is desperately required at the Wanda Metropolitano. Koke has been the chief inventor this season, and while the Spain international is a neat, tidy and committed operator in midfield, he doesn’t have the kind of spark and personality to make the difference between Atleti being a good team and a great one. Koke would flourish when allowed to pass the creative burden on, allowing him to join the dots up a little deeper.
Saul Niguez has been a star as part of Spain’s under-21 setup, offering goals and drive from midfield, but his role within Atleti’s system shackles him somewhat. Outside of Koke and Saul, the likes of Augusto Fernandez, Gabi and Thomas Partey play much deeper and do their best work in transition from defence to midfield.
Still, this victory buys Simeone time. It supports the fact that on their day, los Colchoneros are capable of taking teams apart - though this time it was more down to their opponent falling to pieces. Atleti still need more of the nous and mentality required to break opposition lines and steer the course of a contest themselves, and that can only come from purchasing new personnel. If this isn’t addressed before the end of January, it is tough to see anything other than a stagnant and likely disappointing 2017/2018 campaign.
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Not too long ago, Atleti headed to Galicia with a clear approach in mind. Celta Vigo hosted them at Balaidos, but the visitors arrived without wanting to be expansive or entertaining. They harked back to the gritty years gone by with Simeone at the helm, looking to sit deep and pick Celta off. They left with a 1-0 win and three points in hand, but it felt hollow, transient and dictated by necessity. Since their transfer ban and the announcement from Griezmann in the summer that he would stick with the group, everything about Atleti has felt short-term.
There is a sense of waiting for the next big change at the club. Whether it be Simeone moving on or Griezmann leaving for pastures new, this season has an air of no man’s land about it. In response, Simeone has wound back the dial, trying to grind out results like the Atleti of old. However, he will never recapture the same essence of years gone by.
Costa is the latest attempt to recapture the old identity of Simeone’s underdogs, and he should make a positive impact. Atleti have lacked a clinical figure to lead the line, with the Spain international’s fighting spirit and personality two things that still align him with his coach on an emotional level. It is vital, though, that Costa is supplied with ammunition from a new, exciting midfield talent.
That is the only way that Simeone can continue to marry his passionate approach to managing an Atleti which needs to be smarter in order to live up to the reputation that his side now possess. They used to be able to sit back and allow other teams to push on, but now it is they who must lead the game and the tempo. The old must meet the new, otherwise los Colchoneros will continue to go stand still.
When Atleti hark back to the past and performance levels do not meet expectations, it can only make Simeone look expendable. His successes have been plentiful, and perhaps originally unexpected, but this squad needs a breath of fresh air. When things go wrong, the old guard is called upon time and time again - but they aren’t what they used to be. A 5-0 victory is the perfect way to bridge the gap until a spruce-up in January, but it shouldn’t be over-celebrated. Atleti have work to do, and revelling in such a scoreline would only paper over the obvious cracks.
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