Takeaways: Atleti made to pay for missed chances in tight derby defeat

Atlético Madrid are out of the Supercopa de España and, while the scoreline will say one thing, the feeling after this game is far more complicated.

This was not a performance devoid of fight, structure or even quality. In many ways, it was the opposite. And that is precisely what makes it sting.

There was initiative. There was intent. There was control. There was also, once again, a glaring lack of ruthlessness when it mattered most.

All bark, no bite

For most of Diego Simeone’s career, the criticism has been predictable: Atlético lack ambition, Atlético don’t attack, Atlético are too reactive. We’ve always known why he played that way and, for a long time, we loved it. We still do. It made Atlético competitive, relevant, and feared.

But this Atlético is different. Or at least, it is supposed to be.

On paper, this is the deepest and most gifted attacking group Simeone has ever had at his disposal. He knows it too. You can see it in the way he has tried to tilt games this season, the way he has encouraged higher lines, quicker circulation, and more bodies between the lines. The intention is there. The output is not.

Against Real Madrid, Atleti pressed with purpose. They moved the ball well and they created – twenty-two shots is not an accident. Neither is dominating large phases of a derby and yet, it never truly felt like the breakthrough was inevitable. It always felt like it was being forced.

It is becoming an uncomfortable trend, particularly away from the Metropolitano. Thirteen games outside of home this season (including Thursday in Saudi Arabia), and Atlético have scored more than once on just five occasions. Of the remaining eight opponents, half of them are currently flirting with the relegation zone. That is not a coincidence. That is a pattern.

The reasons are layered. There is the curious case of Julian Alvarez (Oliver summed his night up perfectly in his player ratings) and the injury-ravaged supporting cast. Álex Baena has played 90 minutes just once this season, potentially hinting at minutes being managed and, after a bright start, Thiago Almada has not seen much involvement after returning from his injury. Nico Gonzalez is currently sidelined as well. Meanwhile Giacomo Raspodori’s signing remains confusing and Antoine Griezmann, as brilliant as he still is in flashes, is no longer capable of carrying an attack on his own. Lastly, Alexander Sørloth, for all his goals, remains frustratingly prone to missing the moment that changes the game.

This was not the first time Sørloth passed up a big chance before Atlético conceded at the other end. I do like the big Norwegian – he will score, he always does. But the margins at this level are unforgiving. Sørloth and Atlético keep living on the wrong side of them.

Simeone miming finishes from the touchline felt less theatrical and more desperate. You could sense his belief in what this team can be. You could also sense his frustration that it still is not.

Can the tides ever turn?

Atlético Madrid have closed the gap on Real Madrid, that much is clear. This is no longer a mismatch. In fact, on the balance of play, the Rojiblancos were the dominant side. Twenty-two shots to eight. More possession. More pressure. More initiative.

In another reality, Atlético win this comfortably. A shame that we live in this one.

Derbies are cruel, and this one followed a script that Colchoneros know far too well. It felt like the derbies of old, just with the roles reversed. Atleti probed, pushed, and threatened, but Real Madrid defended and then struck. Thibaut Courtois made himself enormous as chances were wasted, and moments were lost.

That being said, it is genuinely pleasing to see the Rojiblancos go toe-to-toe with Real now. That is not nothing. But at some point, this team has to take one of these moments. One knockout. One final. One night where the script is torn up. They humiliated Real in the league earlier this season and yet, when silverware is on the line, the story stays the same.

It is not just painful. It is exhausting.

Will there ever be a stretch, however brief, where Atlético hold the upper hand? Where the narrative shifts?

Right now, that still feels like a fever dream.

Another trophy chance goes begging

Trophies have never defined Atlético Madrid. But let’s not pretend they don’t matter. Winning something, anything, still means something at this club.

The longest drought under Cholo prior to this was three years. We are now approaching five years without silverware. Since the league title in 2021, the closest that Atleti have come have been third-place finishes, domestic cup semifinals, Champions League quarterfinals and near-misses that do little to shift the narrative.

Some of that is structural. A lot of that is down to ownership. Even now, there are holes.

There is no clear left-back solution. There is no stable center-back pairing. A fragile Atlético defence feels wrong in a way that is hard to articulate.

But this is also not a bad team. At some point, the question has to be asked: is this group underachieving? Not dramatically, not embarrassingly, but quietly.

The Rojiblancos are already 11 points off the pace in the league. The Supercopa is gone. The Copa del Rey and Champions League remain, but there is little to suggest this side is building the kind of momentum usually associated with trophy runs.

Maybe that will change. Maybe this team will find something in spring, as Simeone sides so often do. But right now, belief feels more like hope than expectation.

And still, we cling to it. Because this is Atlético. And because giving up has never really been part of the deal.

Nunca dejes de creer.