Disappointed? Atlético Madrid should be proud of its achievements

Disappointed? Atlético Madrid should be proud of its achievements

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Two years in a row. Two bitter late defeats to Real Madrid in the Champions League.

This time, rather than the final, the two clashed in the quarter-finals. A controversial result perhaps in the eyes of Atlético Madrid, with a harsh second yellow card to Arda Turan in the 76th minute paving the way for an unfortunate end.

With little time to equalise and go through on away goals, Javier Hernández’s important 88th minute goal, both for Real and the future of the player himself, finally broke the eight matches undefeated, since after the final in Lisbon, that Atlético held on its local rivals.

A feeling of unjust, disappointment, frustration and a real sense of ‘what ifs’ surrounded the players as the match came to a close. What if Turan did not receive that cruel and undeserving second booking? What if Atlético held on for extra time? What if they reached penalties? The questions go on and on. However, this feeling of being disappointed, frustrated and having the imaginative ‘what if’ scenarios in mind shows how far this Atlético side has come in recent years.

“The club comes away stronger. We are among Europe’s top eight, which is not easy. If the boys give their all as they did today, I tell the fans of Atlético de Madrid they should feel happy and proud of the players they have,” Diego Simeone told the club website after the defeat.

Such a significant view of the club, which, before Simeone arrived, was competing for the Europa League. Since then, Simeone has won the Europa League, Champions League, Copa del Rey and Supercopa de España in recent seasons, reached the final of the Champions League, transitioned Atlético back to Europe’s elite competition and broke the monopoly between Real and Barcelona having won La Liga.

With big-name players such as Sergio Agüero, Radamel Falcao, Diego Costa, Filipe Luis and Thibaut Courtois (on loan from Chelsea) having left over the years, the critics were out to deny the possibility of any progress from Atlético season after season. However, that has not been the case. Instead, steady progress with the final goal of reaching both La Liga giants, Real and Barcelona, has continued.

Many critics and public viewers discriminate against the style which Atlético plays, with its defensive and robust style of play not pleasing on the eye in many cases. However, for a club that cannot afford to spend €88 million on a top player like Luis Suárez, who is now showing why Barcelona spent so much on him, its recent purchases have highlighted both Atlético’s recent success and other sources of income through the likes of the TV deal that is in place and selling players at costly prices. More importantly, the new players brought in have adopted Simeone’s style of play to much success.

Slowly but steadily, Atlético continues to close the gap in a league that has not had a league winner, other than Barcelona or Real, since Valencia in the 2003-04 season with Rafa Benítez at the helm. Benítez soon left due to disputes with the club, and soon after, Valencia went from being league winners and Champions League finalists to having issues involving management and debt. These resulted in something of a fall from grace, with the club failing to qualify for the Champions League altogether and the sales of top players such as David Villa, David Silva and Juan Mata just to ease the financial burden on the club.

For Atlético, it is important for the club to avoid Valencia’s misfortune and to not stop the progress being made. The financial benefits of Champions League are vital to maintaining and improving the squad, and, more importantly, keeping Simeone, the man responsible for the change in fortune at Atlético.

“The club is at a moment of absolute growth and I choose to be where I am because I’m convinced that the club is going to keep growing. I see it strong, enthusiastic and people are more ready to participate. The club grows and it’s a time to keep growing together,” Simeone stated after re-signing with Atlético until 2020.

Atlético Madrid can be proud by their progress, including the recent narrow defeat at the hands of Real in the Champions League. Supporters, players and the manager can exit this season’s Champions League with their heads held high, knowing they are not out of place amongst Europe’s top eight.

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