A top-of-the-table La Liga match between Barcelona and Atlético Madrid ended up with Barça moving a step closer to what will almost certainly be another league title. The Catalan club's 1-0 victory ensured that their lead at the top of La Liga would remain at 11 points after the 30th matchday. Ferran Torres scored the only goal of the match shortly before halftime.
As for Atlético, they were handed yet another reality check in a season full of them. Atlético's loss left them 16 points adrift of Barça; it also caused them to lose further ground on cross-town rivals Real Madrid in the chase for second place in the league.
To say that Atlético have endured a season full of struggles would clearly be an understatement. Atlético were knocked out of the Champions League group stage for the first time since the 2017-18 season. They not only failed to advance to the round of 16; due to the fact that Atlético finished in last place in their group, it meant that they did not even qualify for a spot in the Europa League's round of 24. This also meant that Atlético would not be taking part in continental play after the halfway point of the season for the first time since the 2006-07 season - the last time they were not even involved in European football during a season.
Assuming Atlético end up falling even further adrift of the top of the league by the end of the season (as is almost certain to happen), they will finish this season's La Liga campaign further behind the eventual league champion than they have in any season since 2012-13 when they were 24 points behind Barça at season's end. To top it all off, they were knocked out by Real in the Copa del Rey quarterfinals.
A major reason for Atlético's situation right now has been their relative inaction in both transfer windows. This is somewhat surprising when one considers that Atlético have always been one of the most proactive clubs in the transfer market. In fact, they have built a reputation of replacing every star player who leaves with another one just like that. However, this certainly has not been the case this season. The most notable signing that Atlético have made this season is Dutch striker Memphis Depay, who was brought in during the January transfer window. However, he hasn't had the level of impact needed to take Atlético to the next level. Despite having played fairly well at Atlético thus far, Memphis has primarily come off the bench since his debut in red and white.
On a related note, the biggest problem that plagues Atlético right now is their lack of a consistent goal threat up front. Their leading goalscorer in the league right now is Antoine Griezmann with 11. Atlético have just 47 goals in 30 league matches - a figure not nearly enough if they are to seriously challenge for the league title. Even more worrying is the fact that of these 47 goals, 38 of them have been scored by players aged 28 or older. This is an aging team that is in dire need of a shake-up during the coming off-season.
I have previously mentioned how it could very well be the case that Atlético's time as one of European football's elite clubs might soon be ending as well as how the next off-season will be pivotal for the future of the club. However, the biggest domino of all could soon fall. There have been intensifying rumours surrounding the future of legendary head coach Diego Simeone and the possibility that he might step down. If he does not see a viable avenue for the club's return to the top table, this once-unthinkable scenario might just happen.
Without the financial might of rivals Barça and Real, Atlético Madrid's decade-plus as a bona fide football powerhouse has been nothing short of remarkable. However, for the first time in a long time, Atlético's future appears somewhat uncertain. This has been something of a "lost season" at the Wanda Metropolitano - but will it turn into more than just a single season? At this point, the path forward remains unclear - and that is never a good sign.
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