It's time for The Truth!

We begin 2025 with a look at Atletico Madrid, who might not quite be top of La Liga, but will be if they win their game in hand this weekend - and who, after a very poor start, have transformed themselves into Spanish football's form team.

We examine the transfer work in the summer that laid the groundwork for Atleti to become this season's 'stable club' in Spain, including the additions of Julian Alvarez and Conor Gallagher, as well as how Diego Simeone's use of substitutes is proving far more effective than any of his competitors so far. 

There are so many hallmarks of a winning Cholo side in what we've seen over the last few months - squad harmony, devilish workrate, tactical flexibiity, and an ability to grind out the results when they need them most. But is this just a good run of form, or could Atleti go all the way this year and finally give Antoine Griezmann the elusive league title that his career so deserves?

The Truth is somewhere in the middle...

And remember, if you’d like more from the Rank Squad, including extra podcasts every Monday and Friday (including our weekly Postbox taking a look at the whole weekend of football) and access to our brilliant Discord community, then why not join us here on Patreon?

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