Atletico Madrid away form haunts Diego Simeone again – ‘This could end very badly’ | OneFootball

It looked as if fears that Atletico Madrid might not finish in the top four this season after being eliminated from the Champions League by Borussia Dortmund were misplaced, after Athletic Club could only manage a draw with Granada on Friday night. Yet a Girona win and their defeat to Alaves have once again brought those fears to the surface again.

Athletic Club visit the Metropolitano on Sunday, and trail Los Rojiblancos by just three points. While it is Atletico’s away form that has been the issue, Athletic did beat Atleti in their Copa del Rey semi-final in Madrid.

A lack of attitude, veterans losing their battles and the lack of influence from Antoine Griezmann were singled out as some of the reasons for their dreadful away showings, as per Marca. ‘This could end very badly’ forecast Jan Oblak after the match, while Diego Simeone said that ‘We know what the problem is, but we’ve been unable to resolve it, and it’s on us as a coaching staff to do so.’

Those words do little to brand the numbers in a more positive light. In 16 away games, Atletico have won 5, drawn 3 and lost 8, conceding 21 times in those fixtures. Three of their five wins also came against sides in the bottom quarter of the table, while their only win against a top half side away from home came against Villarreal.

In Europe, the numbers are not much better. Just one win in five games against Feyenoord, Atletico conceded nine times across those games too. Trips to Real Mallorca, Getafe and Real Sociedad are not a gauntlet by any means, but neither are they easy fixtures. Should they fail to get a result against Athletic this weekend, it could be a nervy finish for Simeone and company.