Atleti, Gil Marín and Simeone: a deliberate and obvious ridicule

Atleti opened their Club World Cup campaign against the best team at the moment with a left flank consisting of Javi Galán and Samu Lino . That's not a typo: Galán and Lino. To absolutely no one's surprise, it didn't go well. Three consecutive losses by the Brazilian woke up a PSG still slightly hungover, and the rest was a walk in the park. If they need to score eight, they score them. Or nine.

The groupie sector of Cholismo has been boasting since November about a Champions League victory in Paris that was a miracle: 22 shots fell against four shots and another stroke of genius from Correa . Believing that these accidental victories reveal anything about Atleti's true level has been a chronic malaise in this stale period of the Simeone era, but the serious thing about comparing the two duels is seeing the evolution of each side since then.

In recent months, Luis Enrique has worked on his model, polished Doué , and PSG has signed Kvaratskhelia . Miguel Ángel Gil Marín has decided not to reinforce the obvious shortcomings in the winter, when he could still win three titles, nor to make a push ahead of this World Cup. Baena and Cardoso will arrive, but the club prefers to save a couple of million each and bring them in in August rather than show a modicum of dignity and ambition for a tournament it may not play again for a long time. That's Atleti.

If you were Julián Álvarez , would you stay?

Simeone long ago decided to be a good soldier and put up with the mediocrity of his board (let everyone decide whether they're a victim or an accomplice), but what no one from the stands is ordering him to do is start and give Griezmann 90 minutes, who hasn't scored in 17 games, and leave Sorloth sitting, who, despite his limitations, has scored 12 goals since Antoine's last. At halftime, 2-0 down and with Gallagher on the bench, he opted for Koke as a substitute. In 2025. The Englishman and the Norwegian arrived last summer for 40 million each as key members of the renewal plan , but the coach is prioritizing two icons in decline. Remember when he applied meritocracy?

If you were Baena , would you sign?

And so Atleti will achieve a milestone: massacring the unwavering hopes of its fans before the season even begins. A new world record for mismanagement.

If you were a subscriber, would you renew?

Well, that's because the club has already taken care of collecting the membership fee before sending the team to America to make a fool of themselves. Mediocre, yes, but not stupid at all.