Analysis: Can Atletico be contender or will lack of ambition again trip up Simeone's men?

MADRID, Aug. 7 (Xinhua) -- The 2024-2025 season was a typical season for Atletico Madrid, which promised more than it eventually delivered and left the same question over coach Diego Simeone that seems to hang over him every season: Can Atletico genuinely challenge FC Barcelona and Real Madrid for the La Liga title?

Atletico went into 2025 as the leader of La Liga after a stunning win away to FC Barcelona, and with Barca apparently suffering a dip in form and Real Madrid looking vulnerable, it looked as if it was going to be Atletico's year.

The club spent big last summer, bringing in an attacking duo of Alexander Sorloth and Julian Alvarez, while Robin le Normand seemed to have brought even more stability to an already solid defense.

But once again, it fell apart - although Atletico only lost six games in La Liga, the same as Barca and Real Madrid, 10 draws (six more than Barca and four more than Real Madrid) were the difference between being title contenders and also rans.

And most of those draws came due to Simeone's lack of ambition, with his side caught out after taking a 1-0 lead and sitting back, or failing to make the first breakthrough and seeing two more points slip away.

The same happened in Atletico's Champions League campaign; although every Atletico fan will complain (perhaps rightly) about the injustice of Alvarez's twice-hit penalty being ruled out in the shoot-out against Real Madrid at the end of their last-16 tie, the fact is Atletico had Madrid on the ropes in the match with an early goal, but didn't press home its advantage in normal time.

The same happened in the Copa del Rey semifinal exit to Barcelona when Atletico sat back 2-0 down away to Barca in the first leg and saw Barca tear it apart to go 4-2 ahead. Only when things looked lost did Atletico return to attack mode to almost take the tie.

So the task this season is simple - to show the ambition to take the extra step and turn a decent season into a title-winning season.

Atletico has again invested heavily this summer, with forward Alex Baena in from Villarreal, midfielders Johnny Cardoso and Thiago Almada in from Betis and Botafogo and defenders Marc Pubill, Matteo Ruggeri and David Hancko arriving from Almeria, Atalanta and Feyenoord.

The club has spent around 140 million euros (164 million U.S. dollars) so far, with the arrival of another midfielder also possible before the end of the month.

It's a big investment, and after the club spent around 200 million euros last summer, it means that Atletico are the biggest spenders in Spain for the second consecutive summer.

Simeone has a team that has firepower and variety in attack with Sorloth, Alvarez, Antoine Griezmann, Baena and his son Giuliano, while the midfield looked better balanced with Cardoso replacing Rodrigo de Paul and the defense should be as strong as ever.

The question is: will Simeone unleash his attacking players on La Liga to challenge for the title, or will his defensive instincts kick in to leave his side 'best of the rest' again? ■