The Highs and Lows for Atletico Madrid in 2015
Atletico Madrid have once again enjoyed a fine calendar year where they have battled at the top table in Spanish and European football, reaching the latter stages of competitions—although not quite going the distance this time in terms of lifting silverware.
As with most clubs, there have been ups and downs along the way; from one-off results to runs of form, from disappointing injuries to exciting transfers.
Here we chronicle the year for the Rojiblancos, who will hope 2016 is at least one step better by the time May rolls around.
High: Return of Fernando Torres—and a Brace vs. Real Madrid
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It all started off exceedingly positively with an incredible return to the Vicente Calderon for former hero Fernando Torres.
The then-Chelsea man was on loan at AC Milan, where he had not shone, but quickly signed a double deal; one to make his move from the Premier League to Serie A a permanent one, then immediately another loan straight out from Milan to Atletico, with Alessio Cerci going the other way. That also counts as a high for Atleti, by the way.
Torres looked inspired as he immediately settled into the Atletico groove, scoring less than a minute into a Copa del Rey game against Real Madrid just days after his arrival. He then added a second in a 2-2 draw, sending Atleti through and knocking their rivals out 4-2 on aggregate.
High: Destruction of Real at the Vicente Calderon
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Games and goals came and went, with Antoine Griezmann scoring plenty of them—it was just before the turn of the year that he finally clicked in an Atleti shirt, and he went on to hit 16 of his 22 league goals last season between January and May.
A key strike among that glut of goals came in early March, when Atleti put themselves right back in the title race with an absolute mauling of Real Madrid—4-0 at the Vicente Calderon.
Tiago, Saul, Griezmann and Mario Mandzukic netted as Atleti's power, work rate, closing down and clinical edge in the final third was far too much for a shellshocked Real to handle.
High: New Contract for Cholo
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The early part of the year saw the highs just keep on rolling in for Atletico, and optimism reached its peak when manager Diego Simeone, who had been constantly linked with a move to another club almost since he started winning trophies with Los Colchoneros, signed a new long-term contract.
"I am here because I'm convinced the club will continue to grow," said the boss, per BBC Sport, upon signing the five-year deal.
A year after winning La Liga and reaching the Champions League final, further growth at that point meant only one thing: lots more trophies. It didn't happen that season, but Atleti look well placed to make good on that statement this year and beyond.
Low: Last-Minute Champions League Exit
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Two highs so far have involved wins over Real Madrid, but Atletico lost the biggest tie of all against their rivals in late April.
After a 0-0 draw at the Calderon in the first leg, the second leg of the UEFA Champions League quarter-final finished with an 89th-minute Javier Hernandez strike to send Real through and Atleti crashing out, after Arda Turan had earlier been sent off for Simeone's team.
It left no time for Atleti to mount a comeback and seemed to knock the team's spirit and confidence over the remainder of the season.
Low: Finishing the Season Fighting for Third, Not First
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Indeed, Atletico only won twice more in the rest of the campaign as their title challenge faltered completely.
Los Rojiblancos won only three of their last 10 games in 2014-15; against Deportivo La Coruna, Elche and Villarreal. While they lost only twice—Real and Barcelona—repetitive draws took away any lingering hopes that they had of sneaking their way to retaining La Liga's title.
High: Summer Signings and One Who Decided Not to Leave
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Having fallen short in the previous campaign, Atletico Madrid clearly had a plan in mind to hit the summer with—and seemed to get every target they focused on.
The attacking ranks were beefed up with big money spent on Jackson Martinez and Luciano Vietto in particular, and although neither have set the world alight in red and white so far, that couldn't have been expected at the time—these were two signings which excited the fans and ignited optimism.
Yannick Carrasco was another good addition, while having the likes of Oliver Torres and Angel Correa available again was also a boost to Simeone's squad.
Perhaps the most important transfer deal, though, was one which didn't go through.
Diego Godin rejected the chance to move to Manchester City, per Marca (h/t James Whaling of the Mirror) instead opting to sign a new deal at Atletico and continue to help the club win trophies after they had helped him become one of the world's most appreciated centre-backs.
High: Jan Oblak Establishing Himself
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While Godin remained in place, the emergence of goalkeeper Jan Oblak has been equally important.
The Slovenian was injured at the start of the 2014-15 season and became a bench regular in La Liga behind Miguel Angel Moya. However, an injury to the Spaniard in March paved the way for Oblak to make his first league start for Atleti.
Oblak kept a clean sheet against Getafe, and he has been in place ever since.
The numbers he keeps posting are incredible, if entirely under the radar. Between May 11 and September 25, nobody apart from Lionel Messi and Neymar managed to score past Oblak, including every pre-season game he played in; he didn't concede a single goal in November in any competition, and he has nine clean sheets in 16 games this season.
Agile, powerful, dominant in the air and with great reflexes and decision-making, he's an exceptional all-round goalkeeper.
Don't be surprised to see him come to the greater attentions of the world's media later on this season when starring in the latter stages of the Champions League.
Low: Poor Run Started by One of Their Own
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That exceptional record of Oblak not conceding to players outside of Messi and Neymar was ended on September 26 in ironic fashion, as Villarreal beat Atleti 1-0 thanks to a Leo Baptistao goal.
Baptistao is, of course, a team-mate of Oblak's; he's on loan to Villarreal from Atleti this season after failing to break into the first team at the Calderon. He is now struggling to do the same at the Yellow Submarine—that goal against his parent club is one of just two this season.
The defeat sparked a poor run of just three wins in eight games, as Atleti faltered in September and October of this season.
High: Four Stars-in-Waiting Showing Their Capabilities in Flashes
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Chop Atleti's current season into quarters and there's a stand-out youngster who has impressed for a run of games in each segment.
Oliver Torres started the campaign in the side and showing why he's one of the possible replacements for Arda Turan, bearing the Turk's old number on his back and finding spaces, passes and room to play in that even the Barcelona-bound man might have struggled to manage.
He faded, and Angel Correa made a handful of starts and exciting sub appearances, impacting off the bench, scoring his first goals in the Champions League and La Liga and even winning caps for Argentina. He has much more to give, but he must find consistency first.
Soon it was the turn of Yannick Carrasco, who was electric and fleet-footed down the wings, creating havoc and giving Atleti a real outlet. He has been a starter for some time now, though his initial unstoppable performances have faded.
Most recently, Saul has been given a chance—and has been one of the most impressive performers in the past few weeks. Centrally in a holding midfield role or slightly wider from the right, his aggression and technique are a fantastic mix, one which Simeone appreciates.
More names could be added to the list, with Thomas starting to break through recently and Matias Kranevitter soon to be added to the squad options.
Low: Tiago's Broken Leg
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Injury for one player means an opportunity for another, and Saul's recent game time is a direct consequence of one of the low points of this season for Atletico.
Key central midfielder Tiago, who had played in every league and Champions League game up until the moment of impact, broke his leg against Espanyol on November 28 and is expected to be out until March.
That he suffered the injury making a pointless "challenge"—a kick aimed at an opponent, in truth—only serves to make his absence all the more infuriating for Simeone.
Matias Kranevitter was already signed and en route to join in January, but Tiago's injury has forced Atleti into action and Augusto Fernandez will also sign from Celta Vigo once the transfer window opens, per Alnhoa Sanchez of Marca.
High: Nine in a Row
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Getting the poor run of results from October out of their collective system was paramount for Atletico and it all began with a 1-0 win over Sporting Gijon early in November, thanks to an injury time-winner from Griezmann.
Diego Godin flicked on a ball into the box and the French forward pounced quickest to snatch three points from close range—and Atleti's confidence took a sudden upsurge in the ensuing celebrations.
After the Sporting game, Real Betis, Galatasaray, Espanyol, Reus Deportiu, Granada, Benfica, Athletic Club and Reus again in the Copa del Rey second leg all fell to Atleti, with a nine-match winning streak across three competitions being the team's best run since a succession of eight victories on the spin early in 2013-14.
They also managed 13 wins in a row from August to end of October 2012, playing in the Europa League at that time and winning the UEFA Super Cup against Chelsea during the period.
Low: Last Time Out...but One More Chance to Come
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Atletico were prevented from making it to double figures in successive wins after they put in a poor display at Malaga and came away with a 1-0 defeat just prior to Christmas.
It was a disappointing game all round for Simeone and his players as they failed to get into gear in an attacking sense, wasting a few chances but not really linking or counter-attacking effectively and relying on the defence to claim a point—but even that was lost late on with a heavily deflected goal. With it went the chance to go top of La Liga, which even a draw would have ensured.
After a progressive 2015 overall, it would be a sour note for Atleti to finish on two games without a win, so the team will be fully fired up to overcome Rayo Vallecano on Wednesday—when the opposition will be itching to put the record straight after a 10-2 loss last time out against Real Madrid.
Atletico have two new players to welcome in January, and they'll want to usher out the old year on a high with three points.
