Football Season Guide

Atletico's rollercoaster 2023/24 campaign saw them secure a top four spot and enjoy some exciting runs in cup competitions, but ultimately was disappointing as the team failed to reach the final stages and recorded their lowest LaLiga finish since 2020. This squad is a very different one to the one that ended last season. In attack, Alvaro Morata and Memphis Depay have been replaced by Alexander Sorloth, with Joao Felix also returning and Julian Alvarez close to completing a switch. That gives new energy and quality to Atleti's attack. That will likely be the team's biggest strength, with prolific goalscorers joining Antoine Griezmann and Angel Correa in attack. This Diego Simeone team is much more offensive-minded than those of years gone by. Question marks remain about the defence. Departures of Mario Hermoso, Stefan Savic, Caglar Soyuncu and Gabriel Paulista mean that there are gaps, and the left-sided central defender position is yet to be filled. Robin Le Normand is a strong addition, but he won't fix these problems alone. Cup competitions will be demanding for this squad, but Atletico do have more strength in depth than they have for some time, and that should set the team up well despite a tough start to the campaign with early fixtures against Girona and Athletic Club in August.