Atletico Madrid must face the Liverpool juggernaut amid the club’s worst spell in a decade
Liverpool are the last team Atletico Madrid would have wanted to meet when the Champions League draw was made.
Atletico are already enduring a difficult season and now face the most daunting of challenges as they welcome the reigning European and soon-to-be Premier League champions to the Wanda Metropolitano tonight.
It is the same ground where Liverpool lifted their sixth European Cup lin June, but while the Reds can expect a more hostile atmosphere this time, it will be against a team that increasingly looks in need of rejuvenation.
This was supposed to be the year that Diego Simeone’s side again challenged the established order in Spain.
Although they lost Antoine Griezmann to Barcelona last summer, they replaced him with one of the most sought-after talents on the Continent in Joao Felix.
Poor return
But the Portuguese’s return of four goals and two assists in 24 appearances for the £113m fee paid is emblematic of the difficult season the club are enduring.
During Simeone’s nine-year tenure they have regularly competed with Barcelona and Real Madrid for silverware, winning the Copa Del Rey, LaLiga and Europa League twice, as well as finishing as runners-up in the Champions League on two occasions.
This year, however, Atletico have been well off the pace domestically and are 13 points behind leaders Madrid in a title race that has looked there for the taking.
Under Simeone they have never been known for goal-scoring prowess, instead relying on an impenetrable defence, but they have always had quality strikers able to capitalise on their few opportunities.
While their defence appears as robust as ever – they have conceded the second fewest goals in LaLiga with 17 – they have scored just 25 league goals, among the least in the league and 32 fewer than Barcelona.
The conveyor belt of talented marksmen at Atletico’s disposal appears to have ground to a halt.
Once home to Sergio Aguero, Fernando Torres, Falcao, a younger Diego Costa and Griezmann, they now find themselves reliant on Alvaro Morata, Felix and an older, often-injured Costa.
The 31-year-old has spent the majority of this season injured and Simeone will be desperately hoping his talisman passes a late fitness test, yet his 15 appearances have yielded just two goals.
Just as Felix has disappointed, so too has Thomas Lemar. The France international joined from Monaco in 2018 for £63m and has not been directly involved in any goals during 990 minutes of action this campaign. Last season he scored three and assisted six goals in 43 appearances.
End of an era
The problems run deeper, however, and the decision last summer from both Rodri and World Cup winner Lucas Hernandez to join Manchester City and Bayern Munich respectively raised doubts about the club’s ambitions.
The club also lost captain Diego Godin on a free transfer to Inter Milan and Griezmann, while ageing full-backs Juanfran and Filipe Luis also left.
In a period of change at the club, questions have been raised of Simeone’s ability to oversee that process, with criticism particularly aimed at his ability to coach and develop the youthful attacking talent that the club has acquired.
The Argentinian is the longest-serving manager in any of Europe’s top five leagues and insisted he was not considering his position following a humiliating Copa del Rey defeat to third-tier Cultural Leonesa.
He will certainly be afforded the time to get the club back on track and Europe now remains one of only two – and perhaps the most realistic – possibilities for Atletico to turn their season around.
However, they will have to do what no Premier League side has been able to and stop the Liverpool juggernaut.