Atletico Madrid Have the Measure of Crosstown Rivals Real Madrid

Four games. Three Wins. One draw. 

Results in isolation can deceive. But results in bunches don't lie. 

Atletico Madrid have the measure of Real Madrid. And it's undeniable. 

Frankly, it's the only conclusion one can reach after Carlo Ancelotti's star-studded team failed to edge past its crosstown rivals for the fourth occasion this season, this time in the first leg of the round-of-16 clash in the Copa del Rey at the Vicente Calderon on Wednesday. 

Played on a chilly night in the Spanish capital, it was the sort of contest we've seen before from these sides: Real Madrid dominated possession, spent the bulk of the match camped inside their neighbour's half and looked the more likely to surge ahead but ultimately couldn't break down Atletico and found themselves undone by the most fleeting of moments. 

Back in August in the Spanish Super Cup, it was Mario Mandzukic who produced that moment. In September in La Liga, it was Tiago and Arda Turan. On Wednesday in the Copa del Rey, it was Raul Garcia and Jose Gimenez. 

Bang. Smash. Grab. 

Thank you very much. 

Gonzalo Arroyo Moreno/Getty Images

Real Madrid, of course, will likely depart the Vicente Calderon feeling hard done by. Sergio Ramos was close to putting Los Blancos ahead in the opening minutes, Gareth Bale had a goal disallowed for offside (it was the correct call), they had 72 percent of the possession, and for large periods, they weren't threatened by the hosts. 

But that all misses the point. 

In the first leg of the Spanish Super Cup, Ancelotti's men enjoyed 70 percent of the possession. In the second leg, that figure was 61 percent. In the clash in La Liga at the Bernabeu, it was 63. And that number rose to the highest of the lot in Wednesday's game. 

Across the four meetings, Real Madrid have scored twice. And they haven't won one of them. 

Possession doesn't win games. Neither do touches in the opposition half. Nor chances created and shots on target. 

Goals win games.

At present, when Atletico Madrid meet Real Madrid, there's only one team that can score them regularly. 

Denis Doyle/Getty Images

Impressively, what Diego Simeone's men have done is craft a method that, regardless of its rugged aesthetics, subdues this Real Madrid outfit.

With unbridled fire, they crash into the stars in white. They sprint 40 yards just to lay some body contact (see Diego Godin). They harass Real right over to the sidelines. They break up passing moves. They block everything. They tackle hard. They foul incessantly. 

They get in the faces of their crosstown rivals; they sap their energy to sparkle. 

Though they happily concede territory, Atletico, embodying their manager's ferocity, never let their counterparts from the capital establish any sort of rhythm or serenity. 

Atletico make it a slug fest. An arm wrestle. A battle of mettle, not quality. 

Gonzalo Arroyo Moreno/Getty Images

The problem for Real Madrid—and it's a problem that's limited to their clashes with Atletico, a truly unique side in Europe in terms of physicality—is that they don't have anything else to turn to once they've been stripped of things such as rhythm and fluency. 

For this incarnation of Real Madrid is founded upon a precise recipe: crisp passing, rapid ball movement, positional interchanges, a fluid attacking trio, supremely gifted midfielders and a collective skill level that can overwhelm. 

But take those things away—which, although extremely difficult, Simeone's men have done on four occasions this season—and Real Madrid, like any team deprived of its central qualities, struggle to conjure an alternative. 

Of course, that alternative is undoubtedly harder to produce when Cristiano Ronaldo is rested for the bulk of the game's duration. But it must be acknowledged that Atletico replicated their tried-and-trusted method despite starting just a handful of players from their best XI. 

Indeed, sitting on the bench behind Simeone at kick-off were Mandzukic, Koke, Arda Turan, Juanfran, Miguel Angel Moya and Tiago. If Atletico were to contest the Champions League final tomorrow, all six would start. 

Denis Doyle/Getty Images

What's important to remember is that this is a two-leg contest—this loss, in this competition, is hardly disastrous for Los Blancos. And despite the defeat being Real Madrid's second on the bounce (three if you count the friendly loss to AC Milan), it's not time to panic for Ancelotti's world and European champions, either.

For there's simply no other team that can truly mimic what Atletico do to Real; Los Colchoneros stand alone in that regard. 

But Wednesday's clash once again showed that Atletico have a proven approach to quell Real Madrid's threat—an approach that levels the playing field and makes nights like these an ordeal for Real Madrid.

Whether or not it's pleasing is irrelevant. It works.

Atletico have the measure of Real.

Follow @TimDCollins