Flying into the derby | OneFootball

Atlético are already clicking. Four days before hosting Real Madrid, Simeone’s side produced their most convincing display of the season and sent a clear message ahead of one of the most eagerly awaited fixtures of the campaign: they are ready for the derby. Four goals, a clean sheet, and a sense of superiority that could even have resulted in a bigger rout.

Simeone had warned in recent weeks that his team still needed time. With players returning late after their involvement in the World Cup and others joining the project when pre-season was already well advanced, the Argentine coach had accepted that Atlético would need matches to reach their best version. That version, at least on this matchday, has now appeared.

The attacking ruthlessness was only part of the story. The red-and-white side created chances, controlled large spells of the match, and barely gave anything away at the back. Oblak, meanwhile, kept another clean sheet. After conceding in their first three away games — against Sevilla, Bilbao and Liverpool — the Slovenian goalkeeper has now recorded two consecutive matches without conceding.

The timing could not be better. The next challenge will be Real Madrid, with the Metropolitano as the stage and a derby that will begin to be played even before the ball starts rolling. In Atlético’s dressing room, that special tension that always surrounds the Madrid clash can already be felt. Koke summed it up after the match: “The derby is always special, even more so when you play it at home.”

Kang-in Lee also spoke about the importance of arriving at the occasion with confidence. The win, after a demanding run of matches, gives an extra boost of morale to a group that needed to rediscover its rhythm and now faces its eternal rival in a very different frame of mind.

And there is another factor Simeone may particularly appreciate: fatigue remained under control. The coach once again rotated his squad and rested players such as Pubill and Hancko, while the way the scoreline unfolded allowed him to protect key figures like Cuti Romero and Lookman during the second half.

Four days to go. Atlético head into the derby full of confidence, with their firepower blazing and, above all, with the feeling that their best version is starting to emerge. Now they have to prove it against their neighbours.

This article was translated into English by Artificial Intelligence. You can read the original version in 🇪🇸 here.