Atleti close-in on title despite huge stumble

Atletico Madrid finally look all-set to claim their second LaLiga title in a decade under Diego Simeone, with a big win against Real Sociedad last night likely ending any hopes of a Real Madrid or Barcelona comeback.

Atleti had cruised to what looked like an unassailable 11-point lead at the top of the table in January, with top scorer Luis Suarez humiliating former side Barcelona who allowed him to join the league-leaders for free in the summer.

However, the picture soon changed as the season progressed, with Atleti dropping to third in the table, with a humiliating Copa del Rey defeat against third division side Cornellà, coupled with a completely lifeless 3-0 aggregate Champions League loss against Chelsea, destroying the side’s confidence.

An under pressure Simeone managed to keep his troops going though, with midfield phenomenon Marcos Llorente making the difference alongside Angel Correa and Yannick Carrasco.

Atletico fans also have their fiercest rivals to thank, with Real Madrid looking bereft of ideas as injuries swept through their aging side, seeing them win just two of their last eight in all competitions after an impressive unbeaten run since the start of February.

Barcelona had become the bookies’ favourites after a 0-0 Camp Nou draw against Atletico last week, but an extraordinary collapse against Levante, drawing after going 2-0 then 3-2 up, has seen the title swing back towards the capital.

Atleti may still need to win their final two matches against Osasuna and lowly Real Valladolid to deny any threat from Real, whose remaining games look much harder, but Atleti’s showing last night is enough to convince many that this painstaking title race may finally be over.