The complicated final drink

Atlético has taken a breath to face what is coming. The end of the season is here, it can already be seen on the other side of the five peaks that remain, the last five days of the League. It’s a high end. The champion team of last LaLiga will not repeat the title but their trophy is something else: being among the top four. There it is, with Barça (63 points, 2nd), Sevilla (63, 3rd), Betis (57, 5th) and Real Sociedad (55, 6th). The rojiblancos add 61 and in these five remaining days they will face two of the four teams on that list. A third will be Real Madrid, the leader. Three of the top six in the table. Although the way this League has gone, if they were teams in decline, it would almost sound worse.

Because the current champion where the points have been left has been against the teams in decline, 19 of a possible 24, a bloodletting, with defeats in the first and second rounds against Mallorca, with a draw and a defeat against Granada, Levante, with a defeat and a victory against Alavés. But that already happened. In the five finals that remain, there are no teams on the wire of the First and Second. Almost all play for the same as the rojiblancos, which complicates the road.

Matches for points… and goalaverage

Athletic is the first rival, San Mamés, a place where Atlético has not won since 2017 (2-1 in 20-21, 1-1 in 19-20 and 2-0 in 19-20). Then May will begin and with May, Real Madrid, Sevilla, Elche and Real Sociedad, with a life and death duel against the second and last. With Athletic in the first round the colchoneros were 0-0 while with Real it was 2-2. With Sevilla they have, for the moment, lost goal average (Lopetegui’s men won 2-1 at Pizjuán). And in these days of the end everything counts.