Last season was the 114th season of Atlético Madrid's history and the club's 19th straight season in Spain's top division. Diego Simeone won his second title as manager of Atletico Madrid in the only manner he knows how. Atlético Madrid won La Liga for the seventh time on May 22, 2021, with a 1–2 victory against Valladolid at the Jose Zorrilla Stadium. This squad has the ability to bend matches to their will, and it may be difficult to get past their defence at times. They beat cross-city rivals Real Madrid to their first league title in seven years after two thrilling comeback victories on the last two match days.
Last season, they only allowed 25 goals in 38 games. Atletico Madrid finished the season with 86 points from 38 games. They had 26 victories, eight ties, and four defeats. Atletico went on to score 67 goals this season, tied for second most in the league. They did, however, allow the fewest goals (25). Suarez finished the season as Atletico Madrid's leading scorer with 24 goals. Marcos Llorente had a fantastic season aside from his heroics. Llorente, who can play in a variety of positions, scored 12 goals and added 11 assists in 37 league appearances. Angel Correa proved his worth by scoring the most goals in the league this season (9). In addition, he collected eight assists. Atletico Madrid had the second-highest amount of shots on target in La Liga this season (186). Jan Oblak made the most saves (103), as well as the most clean sheets, last season (18).
Transfers: 2021 Summer Window
Incomings:
· Rodrigo De Paul ($41.5 million Transfer Fee) from Udinese
· Marcos Polo (Free Transfer) from Fluminense
Outgoings:
· Vitolo (Loan) to Getafe
· Alvaro Morata (Loan) to Juventus
Atletico Madrid have been rather quiet in the transfer window with not many incomings and outgoings. Saul was linked with a move to Barcelona in return for Griezmann. But that deal fell off and now Manchester United are heavily linked with the Spanish midfielder. Keiran Trippier has also been linked with a move to Old Trafford and Los Rojiblancos are trying hard to convince the Englishman to stay. Joao Felix hasn’t adapted to Simeone’s style of play yet and even he was linked with a move away from Wanda Metropolitano.
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The season ahead:
The 2021/22 La Liga season begins next weekend, and Atletico will be seeking to retain the league championship after a rather quiet summer. For the first time in years, Atletico Madrid begins the current league season as the bookmakers' favourite to win the title. Barcelona and Real Madrid frequently claimed the championship, which looked to help Atletico in a variety of ways. This time, though, they will be pushed out of their comfort zone. It's up to them how to deal with the weight of being favourites. Atletico will begin the season with perhaps the most stable team of any of the title challengers this time around.
Atletico Madrid starts their title defense from an away game against Celta Vigo. Celta haven’t been at their best for the past few seasons but they know how to shock a big team like Atletico. Atletico have two more La Liga fixtures this month – Home game vs Elche on 22nd & home game vs Villareal on 29th. Their biggest test of the season will be at the start of October when they travel to Camp Nou for their match against Barcelona. The Catalans will be without Messi but they still have a top squad. Los Rojiblancos will face Real Madrid in December.
Predictions:
La Liga: Runners Up
Champions League: Semi-finals
Spanish Super Cup: Semi-finals
Predicted Line up for the coming season (4-4-2):
Goalkeeper: Jan Oblak
Defenders: Keiran Trippier, Jose Gimenez, Mario Hermoso, Renan Lodi
Midfielders: Yannick Carrasco, Koke, Rodrigo De Paul, Saul
Forwards: Luis Suarez, Marcos Llorente
Also Read | Barcelona 2021-22 Season Preview
