Atletico Madrid Have to Go for Broke in Both La Liga and Champions League

Atletico Madrid's incredible recent success under Diego Simeone is in danger of taking a hit this term, with silverware looking unlikely as things stand in both domestic and European competition.

Already out of the Copa del Rey, Atletico sit in third place in La Liga, seven points off top spot which is held by rivals Real Madrid, and they lost the first leg of their last-16 match in the Champions League, 1-0 to Bayer Leverkusen.

While neither gaps are totally insurmountable, Atleti now need an almost perfect run-in to finish the league season if they are to retain their title, while a similarly big comeback is needed in Europe, where they reached the final last season. It all means that manager Simeone cannot afford to prioritise one game or competition over another at present; with a huge three weeks coming up for their season, they need to go all-out with their strongest side to win every game.

Tough Liga Run

The second leg of the Champions League game falls on March 14; before then, Atleti have three big games to focus on in La Liga.

Gonzalo Arroyo Moreno/Getty Images

Of those three, the first two are among the most difficult games they will play all season: away to Sevilla and home to Valencia. Both of those sides are fighting hard for a Champions League spot, fifth and fourth respectively, which will make the matches difficult enough in the first place.

David Ramos/Getty Images

Moreover, any slip-up against these sides by Atleti will not only further dent their title hopes, but they will actually put them in danger of having to focus simply on a top-four finish rather than the title race. Should they lose to Sevilla on Sunday while Valencia beat Real Sociedad at home, Los Che and Atleti will be level on points heading into the crunch match against each other next Sunday.

Espanyol away, just before the second leg, will also not be an easy game with the Catalonia-based team having rediscovered their form of late. 

Battling Back Bayer

Simeone won't need anybody to state the obvious to him that a comeback in Europe from a first-leg deficit will be hard to pull off; he has taken Atleti to two European finals already and knows perfectly well what is required from his team.

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. @Simeone: "It was a strange match. The result could have been worse but it wasn't. We have to keep calm" #B04Atleti #Ucl

— Atleti English (@atletienglish) February 25, 2015"

The difficulty will be in that Atleti, at home and trailing, will need to try to dominate play and take the game to Leverkusen; be strong defensively but lightning on the counter-attack. It's not necessarily a tactic which suits perfectly Atletico's main strengths, though the likes of Antoine Griezmann, Arda Turan and Koke do give them plenty of creativity and guile in long spells of possession in the attacking third.

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Koke has delivered more assists (4) than any other player in this season's Champions League. pic.twitter.com/nJhGw7F3cD

— Purely Football (@PurelyFootball) February 25, 2015"

The key will be in controlling Bayer on the break, making Gabi a vital component, but Tiago's absence will be keenly felt, as will central defender Diego Godin. Both are suspended after being booked in the first leg.

Simeone's Trophy Run

A league title, a Copa del Rey, European and Spanish Super Cups, the Europa League. So reads Simeone's win-list in his time at Atletico, at least one piece of silverware in each of the last three campaigns—plus that last-ditch, heartbreaking Champions League final defeat last year.

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A season without trophies was always going to happen at some point, but the combative manager won't let this term go lightly.

In terms of going for the win every game, Simeone's selections are based on merit and form anyway, rather than tending to keep rotating the team and freshen up the side, but he's going to need the maximum from every starter over the next month. Koke's return to fitness will be timely, especially with Saul going off injured last week, but the likes of Mario Mandzukic, Miranda and Juanfran also need to step up significantly in key positions.

The next three weeks will make or break Atleti's season, and they don't want to be left merely trying to make sure third place remains theirs.

Follow @karlmatchett