As Real Madrid and Barcelona waver, Atltico are ready to grab LaLiga crown

What does it take for Atltico Madrid to win LaLiga? Diego Simeone knows better than anyone. After all, he's done it three times: once as a player in 1996 and twice as coach in 2014 and 2021.

Simeone, his team and his philosophy have been written off at times during his 13 years as manager, but every time, they bounced back. Now, midway through the 2024-25 season, Atltico find themselves fighting for the title again, two points behind leaders Real Madrid and three above third-placed Barcelona, with a game in hand on both.

Atltico competing with those two "monsters" -- as Simeone has called them -- is now taken for granted, a consequence of 11 consecutive top-three finishes between 2013 and 2023. But how realistic is the expectation of going a step further, and winning another title?

"The target that the club sets every season is to get into the Champions League," Simeone told ESPN in October. "We play in a league with possibly the two best teams in Europe ... Of course, the target of winning the title is difficult. But that doesn't mean that with a great season, with that dose of luck that you need, and with a drop-off from one of them -- or both -- there won't be some kind of chance.

"When we won it in 2014, Lionel Messi was at Barcelona and Cristiano Ronaldo was at Real Madrid. We had an extraordinary season. We did it again in 2021 ... But it's every now and then, when [Madrid and Bara] drop off a bit, and we have a perfect season."

Atltico's 2024-25 hasn't been perfect. They started slowly, drawing five of their first nine league games, as Simeone struggled to find a settled starting XI -- and consistent tactical set-up -- for his expensively assembled squad.

But Atltico have now won 12 games in a row, including a last-ditch 2-1 victory at Barcelona on Dec. 21, which saw them spend Christmas at the top of LaLiga. And with neither Bara nor Real at their sparkling best, there are reasons to believe that this might just be Atltico's year.

Atltico's business in last summer's transfer market was both a statement of intent and a raising of the bar: Centre-forward Alexander Srloth -- LaLiga's most clinical striker last season, overperforming his expected goals (xG) more than any other player -- arrived from Villarreal for 32 million; Spain centre-back Robin Le Normand signed from Real Sociedad for 34.5m; World Cup-winner Julin Alvarez joined from Manchester City for 75m; all-action England midfielder Conor Gallagher signed from Chelsea for 42m.

This was Atltico's highest spend in a transfer window since 2019, the result a squad built to compete for the league title. But for three long months from August to October, Simeone didn't appear to know what to do with them all. In LaLiga, Atltico dropped points against Villarreal, Espanyol, Rayo Vallecano, Real Madrid, Real Sociedad and Real Betis. In the Champions League, they were beaten by Benfica and Lille.

Each week, the makeup of the side changed as Simeone searched for the right formula. In this season's first 15 rounds of LaLiga matches, the coach did not pick the same starting XI for two consecutive games. But in November and December, a team began to take shape.

Atltico have won every game since a 2-0 victory away at UE Vic in the Copa del Rey on Oct. 31. They haven't always been dominant in that time -- a 2-1 Champions League win at Paris Saint-Germain on Nov. 6 was achieved by creating just two chances while conceding 16 to the opposition -- but the team's identity, confidence and clarity of ideas have grown.

That momentum built to an ecstatic, pre-Christmas climax at Montjuc, with Srloth's 96th-minute winner against Barcelona sending Simeone dancing down the touchline, and Atltico to the top of the table going into the festive break. Real Madrid went above them by winning their rearranged game at Valencia on Jan. 3, but they have played a game more than their local rivals.

"We have a lot of really good players," Srloth told ESPN that night. "In the beginning, we struggled a little bit. It took some time, especially offensively, to start playing well together. But you can see now that there's so many players with high, high confidence. We're just enjoying football and coming into work and smiling every day."

Atltico's defensive numbers have been good all season. They've conceded 12 goals in 18 LaLiga matches, 0.7 per game. It's the fewest, with Napoli, of any team in Europe's top five leagues. Goalkeeper Jan Oblak has eight clean sheets, second in LaLiga only to Real Sociedad's lex Remiro. Now, in the last month, they've finally found their rhythm in attack, scoring six goals away at Sparta Prague, five at Real Valladolid and four against Sevilla.

"I think it's normal in football," Srloth told ESPN. "At the beginning of the season, we had a really strong defense. We were really compact, hard to score against. I think offensively, it's normally the last part that comes, because it's about creativity. It's about getting to know each other, who makes the runs. I think now that we have it, that's why we're playing so well."

Gallagher -- whose adaptation, dealing with a new country, culture and language, has been more difficult than the other summer arrivals -- is enjoying the challenge.

"At this stage of my career, I'm not really a youngster," the 24-year-old told ESPN. "I'm at the stage where I'm hitting my prime years. And [Simeone] treats me like a man. I came through Chelsea as a young boy, I went on several loan moves, I was always a young player, trying to develop and improve. Now I feel like I've grown into a man ... You can see the type of players [Simeone] likes and needs. I think it fitted me perfectly."

He added: "I think the whole team are very confident. We have a great understanding of the way we're playing right now. We're very organised, and, going forward, it's seemed to click."

Leading the way, with 16 and 13 starts each in LaLiga -- the most among Atltico's outfield players -- are Antoine Griezmann and Alvarez. Griezmann has created six chances for Alvarez in LaLiga so far this season, with the Argentina forward laying on three for his French teammate, and the pair's joint highlight reel for 2024-25 is already shaping up to be mesmerising viewing.

There was Griezmann's delivery, curled with precision into the box, for Alvarez's winning goal against Celta Vigo on Sept. 26. Then came Griezmann's effortless, first-minute backheel for Alvarez to open the scoring against Real Sociedad on Oct. 6. Then, on Nov. 30, the pice de resistance, as Griezmann and Alvarez combined for a one-two at Real Valladolid, before Griezmann's balletic flick, spin and finish.

"He's unbelievable," Gallagher told ESPN, when asked about Griezmann. "I didn't realise how good he was, to be honest. I knew he was an amazing player, but playing with him, and seeing what he does and how easy it seems to look, it's a pleasure to watch and to play with him."

Alvarez's season has been a slow burn. His CV, reputation and transfer fee meant he would be held to a higher standard. "[My adaptation] is ongoing, but I've felt good the whole time," he told ESPN. "Maybe [what has been hardest] was understanding Atltico's philosophy, what [Simeone] wanted of me, what the team needed of me, adapting to certain positions, movements, those things.

"I had to adapt to the team, to what [Simeone] wants us to do with and without the ball. But I'm still me, bringing what I can do to the team, to make sure Atltico are competing in every competition."

Alvarez has partnered Messi for Argentina and Erling Haaland at Manchester City. He knows what playing with superstars feels like. "[Griezmann] has the virtue of making everybody better. That's the key," he told ESPN. "Yes, he might be [my best teammate, bar Messi]. He's left-footed, with a similar style of play. The qualities and characteristics of Antoine are so good. What he's achieved in his career is impressive."

With Griezmann, Alvarez and 6-foot-4 Srloth -- plus ngel Correa -- Atltico have a diverse forward line with a solution for any situation.

"We have different types of players, with different styles," Srloth told ESPN. "With me, it's more about crossing, getting the ball into the box. With 'Grizi' and Julin, it's more about combinations, and playing in behind. We have a lot of strings to play on, and I think it's our strength."

Atltico's moment of the season so far might have been Griezmann's 94th-minute winner against Sevilla on Dec. 8 -- a game which saw them fight back from 3-1 down with half an hour left -- until Srloth stepped up against Barcelona two weeks later.

When that top-of-the-table clash at Montjuc occurred, Simeone's preferred lineup had already become clear. At left-back, Javi Galn -- who joined in 2023 -- has finally won over a skeptical Simeone. In central defense, a rejuvenated Clment Lenglet has filled in for the back-from-injury Le Normand, alongside Jos Mara Gimnez.

In midfield, youngster Pablo Barrios' touch and vision help get the team out of trouble. Alongside him, Rodrigo de Paul leads Europe's top five leagues for incisive passing, with 17 through balls this season (Chelsea's Cole Palmer is next with 14). On the left, Gallagher tucks in; on the right, Giuliano Simeone, the coach's son, never stops running. Griezmann and Alvarez make up the attack.

Focus on the starting XI is misleading, though. In Simeone's vision, the role of the substitutes is just as important. Against Barcelona, he made five second-half changes to maximum effect. Axel Witsel, Koke, Nahuel Molina, Le Normand and Srloth were all introduced. Molina and Srloth combined for the winner.

"Every player is important," goalkeeper Oblak told ESPN. "Not just the 11 on the pitch. It's not easy for the players who don't play. Everyone wants to play 90 minutes. Everyone wants to be in the starting 11, all the time. It's not easy, when they're coming on, to play that well. But that's our strength ... It doesn't matter who's playing, because we're a team of 23, 24 players. It doesn't matter if it's one minute, 10 minutes, 20, 90 or 120."

Simeone said: "The most important thing isn't winning 12 games [in a row], it's that all the players are doing well. I can call on any of the lads. You pick one [to start], the other comes on [as a substitute], and the team responds. When you talk about the group, it sounds easy. But the facts are there. Molina comes on, Robin comes on, Axel comes on, Srloth comes on, and the team responds."

Srloth began the season looking like a misfit. He started the first game of the campaign against former club Villarreal, then scored, but was still hauled off at half-time, as Simeone was unhappy with his overall contribution. Srloth failed to score in his next eight LaLiga appearances. But he has now scored five goals in his last seven games, all of them as a substitute.

"[Simeone] stresses that a lot, to always be ready when you're sitting on the bench, not sitting there being angry, and feeling sorry for yourself," Srloth told ESPN. "I think that's part of growing up as a footballer, as well. Before, let's say five years ago, I'd be fuming. I'd be so angry on the bench. Now I'm 29 years old, and just waiting to come on and make an impact."

The spark for Srloth's transformation: a no-nonsense, one-to-one with Simeone.

"I had a chat with Alex, four weeks ago," Simeone said. "I said to him: 'Look, let's not waste any more time. I'm going to tell you what I'm like, because you don't know me. I have my way of being. I won't change. I've been working for 12 or 13 years in the same way. "You're so important for us. It doesn't matter to me if it's 10 minutes, 20, or 30, you're so important. You're going to do it. If we waste time like this, six months, with you thinking one thing, and me thinking another ... So let's save time. And luckily, [Srloth] is cool. He's cool. But he's cool out there on the pitch too, which is the most important thing."

Simeone was euphoric after Srloth's goal against Barcelona. As Atltico's players, substitutes and staff mobbed Srloth and Molina on the pitch, Simeone sprinted the other way, toward the tunnel, a huge smile on his face, the game won. The coach was consumed by the weight of expectation -- which his own success had fed -- like nobody else.

"Sometimes after matches, I don't know if I'm happy because we won, or because we're done with the responsibility that comes with winning," he told ESPN in February 2024. "There's no margin for error, and there's a responsibility that comes with that ... My wife asked me: 'When are you happiest?' And I was speechless. Until I answered, 'When I go to sleep.'"

Simeone has a case, with Luis Aragons, for being the most influential figure in Atltico's history. His role in the club's transformation into a European giant -- something it had only sporadically felt previously -- cannot be overstated. But he's also been criticised, and questioned, by fans and the media, with his familiarity undermining the scale of his achievements.

"We created those demands," Simeone told ESPN last month. "And it's normal. The team competes, the team fights. I think it's good that people expect things of us. We know where our limit is."

So can Atltico win LaLiga? Their opponents certainly think so.

"I think they're contenders, for sure," Barcelona defender Jules Kound told ESPN. "I don't know if they have the strongest squad, but this season, they definitely have more depth ... They've always been a team who play with a lot of intensity. And with the summer [spending], they have players who've been able to make the difference."

Midfielder Marc Casad agrees. He told ESPN: "They're a great team. They're in very good form." Are they contenders? "For sure, for sure. The table tells you that."

Raphinha told ESPN: "[Atltico] are always there, every year. A lot of people are used to saying 'no, it's Bara, Madrid.' But Atltico are always there, fighting. And they've absolutely got the characteristics for it. In my opinion, they're a great team. They know what they're doing."

The more competitive the league, the greater their chances. In 2014, Atltico won the title with 90 points. In 2021, it took 86. Real Madrid coach Carlo Ancelotti has said he believes this league will be won with fewer than 90 points. The top three have all suffered dips already, and strong challengers like Athletic Club and Villarreal are not far behind. Just don't let Simeone hear you talking about a title charge.