Atlético Madrid upset the established order and outstripped the behemoths Real Madrid and FC Barcelona to seize the 11th Spanish league title in its history on Saturday, the first since 2014. Seven years later, the “Colchoneros” succeed again to reign in La Liga for much of the season, after their 2-1 win at Valladolid, while runners-up Real Madrid won by the same score at Villarreal.
Barça, ejected from the title race last week, concluded their season without Lionel Messi but with a nice goal from Antoine Griezmann and a victory at Eibar, 1-0. This is only the second time in 16 years that a team manages to break the hegemony of Real and Barça in La Liga, after the feat of the same “Rojiblancos” in 2014, also sealed on the last day.
This coronation has more than ever a taste of revenge for Atlético and its coach-totem Diego Simeone. After the departure of many executives in the summer of 2019 (Antoine Griezmann, Lucas Hernandez, Diego Godin …) and after a season undermined by the Covid-19 pandemic last year, the Argentinian technician has been able to reinvent himself to find the perfect alchemy, and hoist his team on the roof of Spain.
A start to the season on the hats of the wheel
To pave the way for this new title, Diego Simeone managed to attract the Uruguayan “gunslinger” Luis Suarez, suddenly released by Barça last summer; cleverly repositioned Marcos Llorente and Thomas Lemar to make the most of their qualities and at times made the effort to break out of his austere and rough 4-4-2 to inject a dose of spectacle into Madrid’s game.
After a great first part of the season, Atlético already accumulated 50 points after only 19 games played, and were ahead of Real and Barça by ten points in the standings. This exceptional start to the season is quite simply the second best record in the history of the Spanish Championship after 19 matches, behind Barça’s historic season in 2012-2013 (55 pts after 19 matches). Atletico had notably marked the spirits, with a series of 14 victories in 15 La Liga games between mid-October and the end of January.
Simeone, more than ever in the legend of the club
The second part of the season was more complicated, but despite the series of matches, Diego Simeone managed to keep his group under pressure and managed to manage injuries and cases of Covid-19. By clinging to its values of tenacity and rigor, Atletico held out to the end to snatch, not without fear, this eleventh national crown.
A master stroke that elevates Diego Simeone even more to the rank of living legend of the Madrid club. The Argentine technician, in post since December 2011 and under contract until June 2022, compiles two Europa League titles (2012, 2018), two Champions League finals lost to Real (2014, 2016), and now two Championships from Spain (2014, 2021).
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