3 Biggest Concerns for Atletico Madrid's Fans in 2015/16 Season So Far
Atletico Madrid are third in La Liga with 23 points, one point behind Real Madrid and four behind Barcelona after 11 games played.
Diego Simeone always insists his team aren't able to compete with La Liga's perennial top two on a regular basis, so he won't be too unhappy with where they're situated.
However, after title success in 2014 and many millions of euros spent, fans believe that the Rojiblancos should at least be able to take part in the title race.
Atletico are doing that at the moment, but the season has been shaky in some respects. Here are the three biggest concerns for their supporters so far.
3. Reluctance to Use Attacking Stars
1 of 3
Diego Simeone is a hero at Atletico Madrid. There is little he can do now to change that, save for joining rivals Real Madrid at a later date.
When he signed his new contract last season, it was greeted with great joy by Atletico fans.
However, some are unsure whether his cautious approach to some of Atletico's brightest young stars is correct.
Yannick Ferreira Carrasco has been the stand-out star for his side this season, but he is rarely used in conjunction with Oliver Torres, another fresh talent.
Simeone always wants to maintain a balance and often takes off Carrasco to use Torres or Angel Correa.
The coach built his success on solidity and defense, and he seems reluctant to veer from that path. But Atletico have a lot of attacking options now, with Antoine Griezmann just the tip of the iceberg.
Luciano Vietto has been injured recently but is on the comeback trail, and just like Carrasco, Correa and Oliver, he has plenty to offer.
2. Striker Woes
2 of 3
Fernando Torres and Jackson Martinez seem to be competing with each other this season. Competing to see who can be the bigger disappointment, that is.
Unfortunately for Martinez, who was signed for €35 million in the summer from Porto, that distinction goes to him.
It will only be fair to judge the striker at the end of the season, as it may just be taking him some time to adjust to life in La Liga, but the signs are not particularly promising yet.
He has provided just three goals in 15 Atletico games, notching against FC Astana, Valencia and Sevilla.
Things started looking up for him in late October after a couple of consecutive good performances, but against Deportivo and Sporting Gijon, he was back to his old form.
Torres, meanwhile, isn't doing so great himself. The former Chelsea and Liverpool striker scored against Eibar on Sept. 19, but he hasn't scored once in the nine games since then.
He has 99 goals for Atletico but seems to be in no hurry to notch his 100th.
In his defence, he's often been used as a substitute. However, that's largely because he doesn't perform well when he starts either.
Perhaps it's time to ditch the two-striker strategy, which has seen Antoine Griezmann paired with one of these more traditional No. 9s, and give chances in attacking positions to the likes of Angel Correa and Luciano Vietto.
1. Rivals Will Only Get Stronger
3 of 3
Atletico Madrid have been presented with a great opportunity, but they have not taken advantage of it.
Barcelona and Real Madrid have both suffered huge numbers of injuries this season, with the likes of Neymar, Andres Iniesta, Lionel Messi, Gareth Bale, Karim Benzema, James Rodriguez and many more stars ruled out for weeks.
Atletico, in contrast, have not had too many problems, and the Rojiblancos should have capitalised on their rivals' woes by being more ruthless in games like the 1-1 draw with Deportivo.
Furthermore, Rafa Benitez only took over at the Santiago Bernabeu in the summer, so Simeone would have been hoping to make up some ground on Real Madrid while they were still adjusting to his new style.
Barcelona, meanwhile, have a short squad. Only in January, when they can register Arda Turan and Aleix Vidal and sign other players, will they be close to full strength.
Atletico have also hosted both of the top two, losing to Barcelona and drawing with Madrid, so they'll face tough away trips in the second half of the season.
While they are still in the title race, there is an argument that they should actually be setting the pace at this point of the season because of Madrid and Barcelona's problems.
