There is no doubt that Atletico have become the third-biggest club in Spanish football. However, for years now, the Rojiblancos have been expected to go one step further.
In the summer, Miguel Angel Gil Marin and Enrique Cerezo went all out in the transfer market and shelled out 185 million euros. There was a need to reinforce the squad, especially in attack after the departure of Alvaro Morata to Milan, and the sporting management got down to work.
Julian Alvarez, Conor Gallagher, Robin Le Normand, Alexander Sorloth and Juan Musso arrived at the Metropolitano. In addition, Clement Lenglet arrived on loan from Barcelona while Giuliano Simeone and Javi Galan returned from loan spells.
Atleti's spending this season represents more than a third of what has been spent across the whole of La Liga. Moreover, at the European level, only Chelsea, Brighton and Manchester United have spent more on transfers.
Five world champions
The truth is that, despite the adaptation period that every player who arrives at a new club or even country needs, Atleti's squad is one of the most complete in history.
The bar has been set high in recent seasons, especially if you look at the attacking end of the pitch where players such as Sergio Aguero, Diego Forlan, Radamel Falcao, Diego Costa and Morata himself have played.
Atletico Madrid are the only club on the planet that currently have five world champions in their ranks. Four achieved it with Argentina: Nahuel Molina, Rodrigo De Paul, Angel Correa and Julian Alvarez. Meanwhile, club legend Antoine Griezmann won the World Cup with France.
Last season the Frenchman overtook Luis Aragones as the club's all-time top scorer. He has netted 185 goals across his various spells there.
With that firepower, Atleti should at least fight for La Liga until the end of the season and go as far as possible in the Champions League.
The Colchoneros are currently second in the Spanish top flight with 29 points from their 14 games (eight wins, five draws and just one defeat against Betis). The numbers themselves are not negative, quite the contrary.
But when looking at the standings, Atleti are falling behind, so there is a certain sense of dissatisfaction. Barcelona, at the top of the table, have 34 points while Real Madrid are third with 27 and two games in hand.
In the Champions League, it has been a rollercoaster ride so far. A dramatic opening victory in the 90th minute against RB Leipzig was followed by a heavy defeat at Benfica.
Simeone's side also suffered a disappointing loss at the Metropolitano against Lille before defeating Paris Saint-Germain at the Parc des Princes, with Angel Correa scoring in stoppage time.
Scoring prowess
There is a certain urgency at Atleti to achieve something big after several seasons without fighting for La Liga and two missed chances in the Champions League.
The first came in the 2019/20 campaign when, after eliminating Liverpool in the last 16, Los Colchoneros lost to RB Leipzig in the quarter-finals in the middle of the pandemic. The other missed opportunity was last season, when Borussia Dortmund knocked them out at the quarter-final stage.
This season, the focus is on the strikers. Griezmann has three league goals and one in the Champions League while new signing Sorloth has four in domestic competitions and none in Europe.
Julian Alvarez has netted four times in La Liga, twice in the Champions League and two more in the cup. Correa, mainly a substitute, has three in all competitions. It's a decent start but more is expected from all of them.
Future unknowns
While the adaptation of the new players is being debated, attention must also be paid to the future of one of the club's spearheads. Griezmann, who is under contract until June 2025, could be heading for a new challenge after the summer. And if so, Simeone's plans would change drastically.
The implementation of a new system would be likely, as was the case in the 2020/21 season. Atleti would have to play with a different style in the absence of a creative 10 behind the striker.
Some rumours have also suggested a possible departure of the coach. In this case, a new era would begin for the Rojiblancos, but the ambition would remain the same. Finally winning the Champions League while remaining competitive at the top of La Liga.
And with another win under his belt over Alaves in his 700th match, Simeone has all the right tools to take this team to the top once more.