The fort of Europe

He Athletic of Simeone has always stood out for its strength as a local. Before his fans, the rojiblanco team has become a racing machine and has developed its best version, either at the Vicente Calderón or at the current Wanda Metropolitano. So much so that, in the Champions League, only Benfica in the group stage of the 2015-16 season he managed to win in the old mattress fiefdom and only Chelsea In 2017-18, also in groups, he has done it in the current one.

Only two defeats in 37 home matches in the top continental competition (with team visits from the Real Madrid, Barcelona, ​​Bayern, Liverpool, Juventus, Borussia Dortmund, Rome, Milan …) that demonstrate the toughness of Atlético at home and that, despite not having the enormous warmth of its people, it has not taken its toll on the current situation. And it is that the rojiblancos have become the best home team in the league in all of Europe during the pandemic.

Since the return from the competition, after the stoppage forced by the coronavirus health crisis, Atlético has played 15 games in the Wanda Metropolitano in competition, with a balance that speaks for itself: against Valencia he reached 13 victories in his stadium, with only two draws that escaped from Cholo's hands. Real Sociedad drew 1-1 on the last day of last season, a result that classified them for Europe and served Atlético to be third and Villarreal took a point in the third game of this league, the only team that managed to leave zero to the rojiblancos throughout this period.

Europe's best winning percentage

Atlético adds 86.7% of home wins in the League since April, which is just above 85.7% of Real Madrid (he lost against Alavés and Cádiz), 83.3% of Bayern and 81.3% of Manchester City. Beyond those two small punctures, everything else has been triumphs for Simeone's men, with a total of 32 goals for and five against. Valladolid (1-0) was the first team to visit Wanda Metropolitano last season at the LaLiga restart. Would follow Alavés (2-1), Mallorca (3-0), Betis (1-0) and Real Sociedad (1-1). In this course, Atlético's visitors have been the Granada (6-1), Villarreal (0-0), Betis (2-0), Cádiz (4-0), Barcelona (1-0), Valladolid (2-0), Elche (3-1), Getafe (1-0), Sevilla (2-0) and Valencia (3-1).

A team that dreams big largely thanks to their growth outside the home, where last year the results were very weak and this course has already added 19 points from eight games. But that in addition, it has kept its fortress on the Wanda Metropolitano, a stadium until now practically impregnable and that this season has amplified the ability to score points (28 out of 30 possible) and goals (24, the most in the competition at home) while waiting for the Atlético fans to be able to return to their stands.