3 Christmas Wishes for Atletico Madrid Fans

Christmas time in La Liga usually means a reasonable break for players and fans alike, but with an altered fixture schedule this season, the matches will barely stop.

Consequently, Atletico Madrid are in action again before the year is out and supporters will be hoping the recent defeat to Malaga is a mere blip in Los Colchoneros' previous good form.

As the January transfer window continues to approach, Atleti are still in the hunt for major honours but a long five months of the season still lies ahead, so fans will have their own ideas for what will constitute spreading joy in the holiday season.

With that in mind, here are three wishes they might be hoping comes through as quickly as possible.

Ton-up for Torres

In mid-September, Fernando Torres created one and swept home another goal to help his side to a 2-0 win over Eibar.

It was a 99th goal in Atletico colours for the legendary No. 9 and, just four games into the Liga season and his second of the campaign, he couldn't have imagined that there would be such a long wait for the next one to arrive.

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Meanwhile, Fernando Torres has been on 99 Atletico goals for 12 games now and over two months. Just when looking for new contract too.

— Dermot Corrigan (@dermotmcorrigan) November 25, 2015"

JORGE GUERRERO/Getty Images

More than three months later, Torres is still stuck on 99, despite seeing plenty of chances come his way in recent matches.

In the Copa del Rey, he came up against an in-form Reus Deportiu goalkeeper, and he wasted a great chance when one-on-one against Granada. In the defeat at Malaga, Torres created a fantastic opening himself with some tremendous pace and footwork, but he fell short again when it came to the finishing touch.

To reach the milestone and get that weight of expectancy off his shoulders—if only because it means another goal for the team—fans want Torres to find the net again in double-quick time...and hopefully see him strike gold on further occasions thereafter.

One of the new midfielders to immediately excel

With Tiago out injured until March with a broken leg, Saul Niguez and Gabi have mainly been partnered in the centre of midfield in recent weeks—but a red card for the latter at Malaga means another shift in the system will be required against Rayo Vallecano.

Matias Kranevitter won't be available for that game or any other until he's registered on January 4, but the Argentinian starlet will be hoping to slot straight into the first team in place of Tiago.

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Matías Kranevitter [soon to be of Atlético Madrid] and Lionel Messi embracing after the CWC Final on Sunday: pic.twitter.com/uUjYVqvSBc

— SF (@ScoutedFootball) December 22, 2015"

He could well face competition from Augusto Fernandez, with a report from Marca indicating that he's set to join from Celta Vigo in the coming days, while Tiago himself has said he intends to "come back much stronger and repay [the fans] for all their support," per Marca.

Whichever combination is in the centre—especially if it's a new face just into the new year—Atletico fans know the midfield is the most important tactical setup for the team's success both on and off the ball. The team cannot hope to sustain a charge on La Liga's title if the starters at the heart of the side are not up to speed.

Simeone to stay right where he is

Finally, and most importantly, Atletico Madrid fans will be desperately hoping that the manager stays in place.

Gualter Fatia/Getty Images

Diego Simeone has worked wonders at the club since joining and there can be little doubt that plenty of the players have remained at the Vicente Calderon because of Cholo's presence.

John Cross of the Mirror claims that Chelsea want to make him the new permanent boss in the summer, if not sooner, so it is imperative that Simeone still feels he can make progress, improve the team and enjoy success in Madrid.

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Diego Simeone refused to rule himself out of the race for the #Chelsea job on Saturday. "No comment," said the Argentine. [Telegraph]

— Chelsea HQ (@Chelsea_HQ) December 20, 2015"

Atleti may well go on to even greater successes without him, but it would take enormous luck and judgement for that to happen.

Simeone's passion, tactical preferences and link with fans and players is perfect for his current club. Keeping him is the absolute priority when it comes to giving the supporters everything they could wish for.

Follow @karlmatchett