Why Atletico Madrid can break the Barca-Real La Liga duopoly

Ignore Atletico Madrid’s heavy defeat in the Copa del Rey semi-final against their fierce rivals Real Madrid; they’re still three points clear at the top of La Liga with just 16 matches remaining. Before Wednesday night’s 3-0 defeat to their neighbours – which featured two heavily deflected goals – they were unbeaten in five against Madrid and Barcelona.

They can’t win them all. “Is a comeback possible?” Diego Simeone pondered after the defeat at the Bernabeu. “There are 90 minutes of football still to be played.” “We didn’t have any hope and now Madrid have the advantage,” midfielder Koke added.

“It’s difficult but there is always hope.” Except there wasn’t always hope. Not for Atleti and especially not against Real Madrid. The fact there is now goes someway to explaining why Atleti are leading the way in Spain. It’s been 18 years since they were top, 18 years since Diego Simeone was a tough-tackling midfielder in a side which went on to lift the Primera Division title.

“Atletico have all the characteristics of Simeone,” Madrid manager Carlo Ancelotti said. “He was tactically perfect, very focused and with a lot of character.” If one player embodies the Simeone role it is perhaps captain and midfielder Gabi.

Possibly the least glamorous of the Rojiblancos’ squad, his role in the middle of the pitch is as vital as Diego Costa’s goalscoring and Thibaut Courtois’ goal saving: Atleti are a collective, not individuals. Gabi has made 77 tackles this season in his anchor role – he misses a fair few too, although he doesn’t often miss the man – and completed 52 interceptions. He’s a vital component in front of La Liga’s best back five.

Gabi duel success this season

That’s a back five that have conceded just 14 times in 22 league matches. Consistency in selection and the understanding has been the key to the development of Atleti’s defence under Simeone – all of the players were already at the club when he arrived at the tail-end of 2011. Diego Godin and Miranda form a partnership in the heart of the defence which has won 80 headers and made 270 clearances – very few get past them. Filipe Luis and Juanfran, the full-backs, have blossomed under Simeone too.

Atletico have only conceded 14 goals all season

But if Simeone built his Atletico side based on a solid platform, it is in the final third where they have grown as a team. Costa has plundered in 20 goals already this season, David Villa 11 and Raul Garcia, who you can usually count on, has chipped in with six from just seven starts. And then comes Koke, a young midfielder being monitored by half of Europe, and the creative Arda Turan. The return of Diego Ribas on deadline day merely adds to that attacking armoury.

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“Simeone is a fantastic coach, the best I have every worked with,” Diego said at his official presentation on Monday. “He’s helped me a lot, as a player and as a person, and the faith he has in me makes the difference when I have to make decisions.”

You get the feeling Diego speaks for the whole Atletico squad with those sentiments. One setback against Real Madrid is unlikely to end their resilience.