Before the “Derbi Madrileño”, Atlético lags his own demands and its own investments. The pressure also grows on club legend Diego Simeone.
Before the “Derbi Madrileño” on Saturday (27.09.2025, 4.15 p.m., live ticker at Sportschau.de and summary in the sports show from 6 p.m.) Atlético lags its own demands and his own investments. The pressure also grows on club legend Diego Simeone.
The La Liga planners actually meant it well with Atlético this season. The first cracker was only planned for the seventh matchday, before that the opponents were Espanyol, Elche, Alavés, Villarreal, Mallorca and Vallecano. That sounds a little after a warm-game phase for the showdown against the royal, but only the home games against Villarreal (2-0) and with a very large energy performance against Rayo (3-2 after 1: 2 behind) were won.
13 years in series in the Champions League
With nine points behind, the Simeone team now goes to the city derby against Real, which after six games has the optimal yield of 18 points on the account. For Atlético, 8th place is a clear false start among this trainer, even if the way the catch -up against Vallecano should take some time to take a deep breath. But Atlético has always been in the Champions League for 13 years, was the champion, twice runner -up in 2014 and 2021 and third. Fourth place in the 2023/24 season was the only smaller slip.
This year Atlético really wanted to annoy the two major clubs and took a lot of money in hand. 176 million euros were invested in new stars, including 42 million for left -wing Alex Baéna von Villarreal, 26 for central defender David Hancko von Feyenoord, 24 for midfielder Johnny Cardoso (Betis Sevilla), 22 for the hanging tip Giacomo Raspadori from Italy’s champion Naples and again 21 for another left wing, Thiag Almada von Botafogo. 68 million euros were taken in the summer window, so that a transfer minus of 108 million results, one of the highest in Europe’s top leagues.
“Achieve something big with a great squad”
Managing Director and club owner Miguel Angel Gil Marin explained that this was not a problem: “It is about that we want to achieve something big, we believe in that very firmly“, he said before the start of the season. Gil Marin said on the grounds: “Because we have a great squad now.” The patience of the fans seems to be very manageable. Already after the first two winless games, after the embarrassing 1-1 against promoted moose, there was a deafening whistle concert.
Of the five new ones beyond the 20 million mark, only Raspadori was stood in the starting eleven in the Champions League spectacle against Liverpool FC. Baena is missing due to appendicitis, Hancko braised 90 minutes on the bench, Cardoso was not even in the squad, Thiago Almada suffers from a muscle injury. The game against the “Reds” showed on the one hand that the team was fundamentally correct, with a lot of energy a 0-2 deficit was balanced with a lot of energy, but in added time it set the 2: 3-KO hit by Virgil van Dijk.
Full throttle on the line, but doubts about the game idea
The fact that there are signs of wear at the eternal Simeone, which has been on and down on the sidelines for 14 years and has given 744 competitive games for Atlético full throttle. In the 74th minute, he saw yellow against Liverpool because of an uncontrollably towards the referee team because a corner kick was not given. In added time, he then angrily reacted to fan hosts behind his bank and flew to the stands with red.
But with all its externally radiant energy, the doubts about his game idea and its positive influence on the squad composition are increasing.
Since summer 2024, “Atléti” has invested around 350 million euros in new players, much more than with Real Madrid and at FC Barcelona. But a new approach is not recognizable. Simeone struggles with many of the entrances and, in doubt, trust the heroes of the past: Antoine Griezmann has no goal and no assist this season, but was against Liverpool in the starting eleven. Koke was the first to change player, but he is also zero in all categories.
Only Julián Alvarez really hit
So far, only Julián Alvarez has really convinced of all the expensive newcomers of the recent past, 33 goals and nine assists are available for the Argentinian – he was alone and his three goals on Wednesday, a few days before the important derby, the victory against Vallecano. The worst example of mismanagement was Joao Felix, who was released from Benfica for 127 million euros in 2019, then awarded twice and was finally sold to FC Chelsea for 52 million – a minus balance of 75 million euros in a single player.
Diego Simeone’s legend status at the Rojiblancos will not change any of this, but the new mega investments also increase the pressure on him. Does he still have the power to really get involved with the many new players, to find a more modern approach to the calculable Atlético game that still lives from power, passion and hardness?
A different Atlético icon was already discussed in public with Fernando Torrres as a possible successor, which was unthinkable for a long time at this club. That is why it is clear to Diego Simeone: the derby against Real is also one of the most important for him in his 14 years at the Madrid workers’ club.