Why Victory over Villarreal Can Be the Boost Atletico Madrid's Season Needs

While most of the attention has been on the teams that Atletico Madrid have struggled to keep pace with at the top of the table this season, perhaps they should also start to worry about the sides below.

Dropped points have left Diego Simeone's men a huge nine points behind La Liga leaders Real Madrid, who are seeking to enter 2017 with a clear advantage as they continue to ward off Barcelona, Sevilla and, of course, Atletico.

But it is just below Simeone's side where attention will turn on Monday evening, in what will be a fascinating clash at Villarreal.

Despite a recent drop-off in form that has seen them fail to win any of their last three league games, Fran Escriba's side will know that a win over Atletico on Monday will take them above their opponents.

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Should Real Sociedad beat a struggling Valencia on Saturday, and Athletic Bilbao win at Real Betis on Sunday, then Atletico could end Monday night as low as seventh place. Suddenly there won't just be three teams above them but six, and previous title talk will simply have to give way to ideas of securing a place in the top four.

There's a lot at stake in Atletico's final away game of 2017, then, and perhaps that points to the type of tight, tactical game that Simeone seems to specialise in. Neither side has scored more than one goal in the last seven meetings between them, after all, with one 0-0, five 1-0s and one 1-1 in that time.

Simeone was, of course, in charge for all of those matches—even if Villarreal have gone through several bosses in that time—and it seems to be the type of fixture that the Atletico Madrid manager enjoys.

For five years, his reign has been all about trying to get as close to Barcelona and Real Madrid as possible, but part of that challenge has also been keeping his rivals down.

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Villarreal have been one of those rivals, and you get the sense that he turns his so-called "Cholismo" up to 11 whenever he faces them, as he looks to keep grinding them down and keep them at least an arm's length away from challenging the elite.

Now that desire seems more important than at any time in his reign at the club.

Although they have been impressing in the Champions League, Atletico need another statement result in La Liga if they are press on and head into 2017 with full confidence.  

It is, after all, an exciting time for Atletico with the announcement of the name of the club's new stadium and the presentation of a new club crest coming on Friday, but just what that immediate future holds seems up for debate and scrutiny in the coming weeks, months and indeed calendar year.

It seems as though matches such as Monday's will determine that outcome, as they simply cannot afford to let any of the teams below them believe that their spot in the top four is up for grabs.

To do that here, changes could be made.

Simeone may have experienced defeat at Bayern Munich in the Champions League on Tuesday, but he'll have seen enough there to know that whatever changes he's planning for his side can be done so in good faith.

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The 20-year-old French defender Lucas Hernandez, in particular, was an impressive performer up against the well-known talents of Arjen Robben, and he'll now get a run in the side following the injury to Filipe Luis, which rules him out for the next few weeks.

The Brazilian tore a thigh muscle in training on Wednesday, and although being without his obvious talents will be a blow for Simeone, it will at least freshen his side up and make it noticeably younger.

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Hernandez is, after all, 11 years younger than his fellow left-back, and there might just be a sense that the fearlessness of youth could be an important asset for Atletico in the weeks to come.

Simeone needs to get them firing again, after all, with a lack of goals an obvious concern.

His usual sharp-shooter Antoine Griezmann is now without one for 604 minutes of La Liga action, but the Frenchman seemingly isn't concerned about that and indeed saw positives in the Bayern defeat on Tuesday, as per Dermot Corrigan for ESPN FC.

Griezmann said:

"

The final part of the game [against Bayern] was the best 20 minutes we have played in a long time. We had all been back helping to defend, but then we had some chances we were unable to convert.

We have confidence in ourselves and the work of the boss. For sure we will play a good game on Monday.

"

There is possibly just a hint of frustration there over how things have been going in the last few weeks, with Atletico failing to score in the defeats at Sevilla, Griezmann's former club Real Sociedad and Real Madrid, but he also knows just how important it is to win at El Madrigal.

Atletico have faced several must-win games so far this season and usually fallen short when it has mattered most as they've sought to keep up to speed with the sides above them. But on Monday they really can't afford to do that again as they have to pay attention to the teams below.

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If that dash of youth provided by the addition of Hernandez can help unlock something, anything, different from what has been going on recently, then Simeone, and indeed Griezmann, are sure to welcome it.

But what looks to be most important is if Simeone can tap into that old spirit from these sort of matches. He needs to want to grind Villarreal down and keep them there as he seeks to keep Atletico in touch with the sides above them.

All of which sets things up pretty dramatically.

This has the potential to be a fascinating game and one of the weekend football highlights despite the fact it is taking place on a Monday.

Whatever type of game it is, though, Atletico just have to win it.

Because the alternative really isn't worth considering.