Launched in ‘the League of 14’

Atletico’s face has changed in the last month. From the sunken team and with few reasons for hope that fell against Levante to one that fly in League, add trumps as a routine and look looking forward to the date with Manchester City. From the famous meeting of Gil Marín with the coaches and the players (February 18) came a mission: “We have to win this League of five teams and 14 games”. A month later, the team more than complies: he is fourth, he has opened a gap and the performance is going up. The catastrophe seems very far away.

Since that conclave, the rojiblancos they count their league games by victories: five of five, 11-2 in goals. It is an infinitely more solid team, with a more defined plan, with pieces that have grown, others that have lost weight… There has been a mutation in Atleti. What’s more, he got off on the way to Manchester United (1-1 and 0-1), giving a remarkable level throughout the tie, more beautiful in the first leg, more competitive in the second leg, superior overall. In the same timeline, moreover, some of their rivals in the Champions area have deflated. And perhaps, the league “of five” ends up being “of six”.

Atleti have not always played well in this section, but they have seen a mentally strong team that knew what they were doing. In attack, João Félix has been the leader (four goals and two assists, plus the header against United) and back, the team has bolted with an Oblak who already remembers the great Oblak. reinildo has shored up the defense with Gimenez and Savic and in the middle Herrera It has been done with the controls of the equipment. Llorente, DePaul and Griezmann are approaching their most interesting versions and other lagging players have taken a step forward, such as Lodi, Kondogbia e incluso Vrsaljko. To the Lemar, Carrasco, Suárez, Cunha, Hermoso… they will have to come back.

Installed in the Champions area and looking up

And so, a month later the team has settled in Champions positions, four points ahead of Betis (and the goalaverage). The Verdiblancos have taken seven points out of these 15. The Villarrealnine and the Real society, ten. The Sevilla, by the way, only seven. Lopetegui’s men didn’t start in that ‘league of five’ because they looked far away, but Atleti already sees them only three points away. For money he will also fight Barçawhich with its five consecutive wins and the punch on the Bernabéu table clearly opposes the runner-up.

Atleti does not go four by four, but also is getting used to triumph, and that attracts more wins. Where before there was fatalism and the markers in favor vanished between the fingers, now a rocky block rises, which has only fit three goals (Elanga, Tello and Negredo) in seven games. Reaction, intensity, concentration, vertigo, determination, confidence, union… This is the vocabulary with which the new Atleti is handled, which actually evokes the classic Atleti and which has signed a recent plenary session in the League. The minimum Target, What is it enter the next Championsit looks like this now very accessible.