Atletico Madrid’s engine was faltering and at Camp Nou on Sunday, they crashed headfirst into a wall.
Barcelona beat them 4-2, and it might have been a wider margin had Dani Alves’ foolish red card not let Diego Simeone’s side take limited control of the final stages.
It was a terrible result for Atletico, who were leapfrogged in the table by their opponents, who took their place in La Liga's top four.
Losing all of their league matches in December hurt Atletico, but their stunning 3-2 comeback victory over Valencia in January seemed to have steered them back on course.
It seems, however, that was not the case.
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In years past and arriving above their Catalan rivals in the table, Simeone would have aimed simply not to lose. But the club’s dismal defensive form this season has left those predicting solidity and nous from the Rojiblancos with desperately outdated expectations.
They have conceded 12 goals in their last five matches in all competitions and kept just two clean sheets in their last 13 games, while their 30 goals conceded in La Liga this season is the worst defensive record of any team in the top half of the table.
And yet there are problems all over the pitch, not just at the back.
Summer signing Rodrigo de Paul’s form has fallen off a cliff, Luis Suarez scored against Barcelona but had previously been on a long drought, and Mario Hermoso was embarrassed by Adama Traore.
Blaming the current crop of players for their poor form is not unreasonable, but it barely scratches the surface of Atletico’s downfall.
Getty/GOAL“We wait until we are losing before we start to play,” said defender Stefan Savic. “I don’t know if it’s something in our heads, but we have to change it if we want to compete in the Champions League.”
The Montenegro international, whose recent injury absence has also been a problem for Simeone, is on to something. A lot of Atletico’s problems seem psychological, with the team undergoing a deep identity crisis.
If they are not the defensively impenetrable unit that earned the 2014 La Liga title or reached the 2016 Champions League final, then what are they?
They are not the underdogs Simeone often likes to claim they are; as defending champions, they are overdogs. That does not seem to be something they know how to cope with.
The switch in expectations is reflected in their squad. While many still wrongly consider Atletico to be a defence-first side, their player roster is top-heavy. They boast numerous attacking stars, from the bigger names like Suarez, Joao Felix and Antoine Griezmann, to Angel Correa, Matheus Cunha, Thomas Lemar and Yannick Carrasco.
Compared to the attacking options at Real Madrid or Barcelona - at least before the Catalans’ recent reinforcements arrived in January - Atletico have the strongest offensive unit on paper.
Their defence, meanwhile, is weaker than it has ever been since Simeone took charge in 2011. "We've been defending extraordinarily well for 10 years and this year we aren't doing what we usually do,” admitted the coach. Losing Kieran Trippier to Newcastle in January was a further blow.
Getty/GOALAtletico’s identity crisis makes them a hard team to understand. What do they want when they play? It is possible the players do not fully grasp it either. Simeone changed systems and line-ups frequently in the first half of the season, not allowing the team a chance to settle.
The lack of security in a fixed identity has led to disconnection and confidence draining away. The latter is one of the few explanations for goalkeeper Jan Oblak’s poor performances. The Slovenia star was one of the world’s finest until this season and La Liga's Player of the Year in 2020-21, but his form has been problematic.
An external factor that might also be contributing to Atletico’s struggles is the move to the Wanda Metropolitano in 2017. The humble yet raucous Vicente Calderon was a glorious and fitting home for the club, but the Metropolitano uprooted Atletico across the capital, and despite the improvements in capacity and grandeur, cannot be compared in spirit.
Atletico also lost their heart and soul with Diego Godin and Gabi’s departures, as the veterans were a key part of the bite that Simeone’s side no longer possess to any meaningful extent. It occasionally flashes up, like in their thrilling 3-1 win at Porto to reach the Champions League last 16, but it is no longer the norm.
The team have suffered at set-pieces this season, another area that is directly impacted by dedication and determination, something perhaps lacking after last season’s league success.
Suarez was the key figure in winning the title, and he was fired up after being released by Barcelona. The Uruguay forward, like Atletico, is at his best when he has something to prove. He did well at Camp Nou, one of the few Atletico players who did, proving himself against his former side, but will it last?
Getty/GOALSuarez is currently one of the issues Simeone has to solve. He and €126 million (£113m/$142m) signing Joao Felix seem to be retaining their places at times based on their star status; the coach does not know how to handle dropping them.
Atletico, in the Simeone era, have not tended to have many star names. Perhaps players have become stars at the club, like Griezmann, but they have not arrived as them. It is another sign that they cannot go back to being the underdogs now.
The coach seemed to indicate he would leave out big names if it suited the team after Correa and Cunha scored in the win over Valencia, but those two were benched again for Suarez and Felix on Sunday.
Suarez, despite what quality remains in his boots, cannot press, while Felix was wasteful.
“In the first half Barca had four (chances) and scored three. Atletico had four and scored one. It's all about being clinical,” said Simeone. “We have to credit how clinical our opponent was, and try to improve our intensity, aggression and concentration.”
Big asks, for a team not sure of who it is or what it is doing.
Some are starting to suggest Simeone is reaching the end of the line at Atletico, although most fans remain thoroughly loyal to the coach.
“Ole, Ole, Ole, Chole Simeone!” rang out chants as Atletico’s team bus departed Camp Nou, though others had jeered his decision to bring on defender Felipe for Felix against Valencia a few weeks earlier.
The ghost of what Atletico Madrid was seems to be permanently haunting what they currently are. The title they lifted last season could prove a last hurrah, until fundamental changes happen at the club, and there is a fresh start.
But after so long, and everything Simeone has given Atletico, parting ways cannot happen in a rush, certainly not mid-season. So they will stay in limbo, maybe even long enough to become underdogs once more.