Is Diego Simeone nearing an exit at Atletico Madrid?
Diego Simeone’s Atletico Madrid side suffered their fifth league defeat of the season after conceding a late goal to Barcelona on Sunday afternoon.
The Rojiblancos are now at risk of being pipped to fourth place by Real Sociedad in the table, but can they turn things around in time to guarantee a spot in the Champions League for next season?
Atleti amassing less points than top-four hopefuls
Atletico Madrid are currently fourth in the Spanish La Liga table with 45 points from 24 games this season. No side in the top-five have won fewer games than Diego Simeone’s men, and only Sociedad have lost more times than Atleti in the top-six. In their last half a dozen outings in La Liga, six sides in the top-10 have picked up more points than the Rojiblancos, and such inferior form sees the chasing pack starting to gain ground.
Real Sociedad are just one place and one point adrift after 24 games. Sixth-placed Villarreal have the chance to go within three points of Atletico Madrid in the table if they win their game in hand. Seventh-placed Athletic Bilbao and eighth-placed Eibar are two wins away from being within touching distance so Simeone’s side can’t afford any more slip-ups.
However, with Atleti dropping points in 11 of their 24 league games this season, they clearly aren’t at their best to suggest they can go on a long unbeaten or winning run.
Speculation having negative effect on player form
No player in the Atletico Madrid side has scored double figures in La Liga this season, and it may well be the speculation surrounding a number of talented individuals that is affecting their form. Striker Antoine Griezmann, who for the last two seasons has bagged 22 goals on both occasions, has netted just nine times in 2016/17.
Nobody has more for Atleti this season and given he’s been frequently linked with Premier League giants Manchester United among other European giants, the constant talk and having to answer questions on his future is clearly having an adverse effect on his form. Yannick Carrasco is another player linked with a move away from the Vicente Calderon and the constant talk is doing him no favours.
The future of manager Diego Simeone looks to have created a negative atmosphere in the camp. The Atletico coach is expected to leave in the summer and his players have been forced to speak about the rumours endlessly. Griezmann has said he would follow his manager out the door and having so much speculation in the camp isn’t helping.
Can Atleti finish in the top-four this season?
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