You never really know what you’re getting with Atletico Madrid.
Last week, I was sitting down to write an article scrutinising their poor start to the season and questioning whether there was any coming back.
This week, I’m wondering if anybody can stop Julian Alvarez and co from winning everything.
But without getting carried away, this complete turnaround has been entirely unexpected.
After finishing third last season in what seems to be familiar fashion, Atletico Madrid entered the newly revamped FIFA Club World Cup with strong ambition.
Then they got battered 4-0 by PSG and were dumped out of the competition in the group stages after finishing third in their group.
With only a month to regroup between the tournament and the new season launch, Atletico Madrid were only able to play two preseason games.
A loss against FC Porto and a 2-0 win against Newcastle United could be cause for both confidence and concern, but their battery appeared to die as they commenced the 2025/26 season with a shock 2-1 defeat against Espanyol and two straight 1-1 draws against Elche and Deportivo Alaves.
With only one win in their first five La Liga games and a late defeat against Liverpool in their opening game of the UEFA Champions League, things were looking grim for Diego Simeone and his men.
It was a silently brilliant transfer window from the Rojiblancos. They managed to get rid of a lot of dead weight, and their only significant loss was the departure of Rodrigo De Paul to join Lionel Messi at Inter Miami.
They also recruited quite well across several key areas. Nicolas Gonzalez joined on loan from Juventus, Giacomo Raspadori was signed from Napoli, and Thiago Almada was signed from Botafogo to add options across their front three.
Most notable of all was Alex Baena, who made the switch from Villarreal and will add plenty of quality as a wide midfielder.
David Hancko from Feyenoord was secured as a centre-back signing, and Johnny Cardoso made the move from Real Betis as a defensive midfielder.
They signed Matteo Ruggeri and Juan Musso from Atalanta, completed the signing of Clement Lenglet on a free from FC Barcelona, and secured a handful of useful fringe players to support the squad.
Overall, a great window.
But something wasn’t clicking, and with both Antoine Greizmann and Julian Alvarez struggling to find the back of the net in the opening stages of the season, Atletico Madrid looked blunt.
And then everything changed in the space of six days.
Three games, three wins, 13 goals scored. Alvarez on fire, your defence is terrified.
Atletico Madrid, so far this season, have excelled at scoring early.
The problem, until most recently, has been what they do when they’re ahead.
While in the past, Atleti were notorious for parking the bus and grinding out 1-0 results, this season, they seem to crumble after taking the lead.
In nine games this season across La Liga and the Champions League, there were six occasions where Atletico Madrid scored inside the first fifteen minutes.
But holding those leads has been an issue until recently.
After breaking the deadlock against Rayo Vallecano at the Metropolitano, the visitors struck twice to send Atleti heading towards yet another disappointing display.
That is, until Julian Alvarez scored two late goals to secure a 3-2 win, and kickstart a strong run of momentum that could define their season.
Again, they scored the opening goal, this time in the Madrid Derby.
Unsurprisingly, two quick goals saw Real Madrid flip the scoreline again.
An equaliser on the stroke of half-time, a brace (including a brilliant freekick) from Julian Alvarez, and a late drought-ending match-sealer from Antoine Griezmann cemented a stunning 5-2 victory!
It was a remarkable result, and the first time Atletico Madrid had scored five goals against the cross-town rivals in 75 years.
Counting only competitive games, of course.
Who can forget their random 7-3 demolition in the summer of 2019?
With the most recent 5-1 victory over Eintracht Frankfurt showing that this purple patch is no coincidence, Atletico Madrid might be onto something promising.
Five years since their last La Liga title, and while they still have a mountain to climb, they’ve proven they can compete with the best teams.
Now they just need to get the job done against the worst.
Can they win the Champions League? Not likely.
But can they get their hands on a trophy this year? Absolutely.
Despite being the major league cup, Atletico Madrid have not won the Copa Del Rey since 2013 and they haven’t even made the final since.
There’s a hunger and an ability for Atletico Madrid to compete with Real Madrid and Barcelona, but it’s certainly easier said than done.
No doubt Atleti will make a deep run in the UCL and remain on the heels of the top two in La Liga, but if they want to target a major title that is there for the taking, Atletico Madrid should turn their focus onto the Copa Del Rey as a major aspiration for the season.