As Spain’s third team, Atletico Madrid are never favoured to win anything. They go into each season hoping to upset the Spanish duopoly, without any real hope of doing so. Their hope paid off in 2013, it was their first league title since 1996 and only tenth since their founding in 1903. This season, however, could be different; or dare I say should be different.

This season Atletico Madrid can be the best team in Spain.

Why Atletico Madrid Can Claim League Title

The Talent

There was already plenty of top-end talent on the squad. Jan Oblak is one of the best keepers in the world; Diego Godin and Jose Gimenez form a powerful defensive partnership that shines for both club and country. And up front, fewer lead the line like Antoine Griezmann and Diego Costa.

But it’s the new signings that make this the most talented team that Diego Simeone has had at Atletico Madrid. Additions like Thomas Lemar, Gelson Martins, Santiago Arias and Rodri will give Simeone the squad depth that he needed last season.

Lemar and Martins are flair wingers, guys that will get up and down the field quick with or without the ball. Arias is a right back that Atleti think will do much better than Sime Vrsaljko did.

The most interesting acquisition of the three, however, is Rodri. Dubbed the heir to Sergio Busquets in the Spanish midfield, Rodri is a stronger defensive midfielder with a very strong passing ability. He has spent the last two seasons impressing at Villareal; a yo-yo club that has found its first division footing in part due to Rodri.

The Big Shift

But what his addition will do most is optimize Atleti’s already talented midfielders. Koke and Saul are strong multi-talented midfielders. They are good runners and strong defensively, but they are at their best with the ball.

However neither of them is a true holding midfielder, they need someone to protect them when they go forward or lose the ball. Rodri really fits that role and will give Koke & Saul the freedom they need.

One would think that with midfielders like that, Atletico will be a team that relies on possession of the ball. That is a far cry from what their bread and butter has been, a far cry from what the Diego Simeone era has been. Though he has tried to evolve in the past, he has always returned to what he knows, but this team is his chance to be different.

Those three in midfield should allow Diego Simeone to play his most attacking lineup ever. For the first time at Atletico, Simeone has three really strong attacking players to lead his line.

Antoine Griezmann’s decision to stay was a massive win for Atletico, not least because he chose to stay over going to Barcelona. With him and Lemar, Atleti have two outstanding French wings.

The Best Diego

And at the point of their trident is Diego Costa. Costa looked right back at home after completing his return from Chelsea. His combination of pace and power are rarely matched in football. Nor is his perchance for violence, both giving and taking. It’s a unique trait only to Costa. No one else has the ability to be as tough as Gattuso and dive like Neymar.

But it’s that combination that makes him such a dangerous attacking player, that combination that make Atletico Madrid such an interesting team. He came back to Atletico because it always felt like home to him.

He came back to Atletico because of Diego Simeone, Diego Godin and that rough and tough identity that he helped birth. He came back to Atletico because he wanted to win the league at home again, and this might be their best chance.

The Weakened Duopoly

What enhances their chances is that both Barcelona and Real Madrid feel like weaker teams today than they were at any point last season. For Real, the reason is obvious. When legends like Zinedine Zidane and Cristiano Ronaldo leave there is always a transition. Whether that transition is a rocky one will come down to their players.

Can Gareth Bale step up into the role he was meant to take over? Can Isco and Asensio take the next steps we have been waiting for them to take? What impact does the change of manager have on elder players like Ramos or Modric? What effect does the World Cup have on each player that played? Who is the starting GK?

There are a lot of questions at Real Madrid. There are also plenty of questions at Barcelona.

What team do they start the season with? Are they going to return to the 4-3-3 as Valverde has said? They tried the 4-3-3 to start the Spanish Super Cup but finished in Valverde’s 4-4-2. What position will Messi or Coutinho or Dembele play? Will we get the Barca from the first half of last season or the second?

And like Real Madrid, Barcelona are going through another high-profile departure. Andres Iniesta was a staple at the Camp Nou since 2001, he spent 22 years total at the club. Don Andres departure will be felt at some point during this season. Even at 34 he still dazzled and defied teams with his immaculate imagination.

Atletico’s Real Chance.

Because of all of these factors, I believe that Atletico Madrid will win the league. Top to bottom their squad can stand up against both Barcelona and Real Madrid. It will be crucial for them to get off to a great start. Of their first five games, only Valencia should really threaten them, which should result in that needed good start.

If they get that good start, expect them to be a force for all season. They have the squad strength and the squad depth to put up a serious challenge. And if they have a few injuries they have the funds and loanees to make adequate replacements. They might even be able to compete in Europe as well, 2013 all over again.

Main Image Credit:
Embed from Getty Images