Overview
Atlético Madrid qualified for their first-ever WCL quarter-finals in October, but it is probably fair to describe that as the only bright spot in their most inconsistent season since 2016. The team may have finished second in Primera Iberdrola but they were nine points behind Barcelona and failed to reach the Copa de la Reina quarter-finals for the first time since 2012.
Having had three different coaches during the 2019-20 season, Atlético Madrid have been unstable and unreliable. First, the coach Sánchez Vera surprisingly left in October. Pablo López was appointed as his successor and although he managed to takethem into the last eight of the women’s Champions League for the first time, his contract was terminated in January following a spell in which Atléti drew four out of seven games.
So now they are preparing for the WCL quarter-final with a coach, Dani González, who has been in charge for only seven games. He has a lot of new players at his disposal, so their playing style and formation under him is still a bit of a mystery.
Sánchez Vera was happy for his team to sit back and soak up pressure while Pablo López’s team focused more on possession, which is something Dani González favours too. “I’m discovering other ways of working with him,” the goalkeeper Pauline Peyraud-Magnin told L’Équipière last month. “We’re really working on the Spanish game: the passing, the possession. There’s also a lot of physical work.”
The team have changed a lot in the past few months. In May, the Spanish international Virginia Torrecilla discovered she had a brain tumour and began treatment. Nine players, including several previous starters, also left during the summer.
There are also concerns over whether they will actually even be able to play their quarter-final against Barcelona on Friday after five players tested positive for Covid-19 last week and they had to cancel all training sessions. Uefa has said they will need a minimum of 13 players, including one goalkeeper, to play.
Which players have they signed this summer and can use from the quarter-finals?
This Atlético looks very different from the one that finished nine points away from Barcelona in March. Some high-profile players have left, including the goalkeepers Lola Gallardo and Sari van Veenendaal as well as Kenti Robles and Elena Linari, but the club have acted to sign good replacements.
Hedvig Lindlahl and Pauline Peyraud-Magnin are an extremely strong goalkeeping duo while Meryl van Dongen and Alia Guagni will both add depth to the defence. Turid Knaak, Emelyne Laurent and Grace Kazadi have all arrived to bring new energy to Atléti’s attack.
Head coach
Dani González did not have much time to shape the team to his own possession-based playing style before the coronavirus outbreak. González, who played for the men’s team in 1995-96, has been part of the club’s staff since 2010. In June, the club renewed his contract until 2021. “The goals for this season are to continue to grow as an organisation and to solidify a way of working that allows us to reach an optimum level in all the competitions,” he said when he extended his contract.
Star player
During the last three years, Ángela Sosa has scored 27 goals and in the 2018-19 she was won the league’s MVP title. Surprisingly, her performances were not enough to be included in Spain’s Women’s World Cup squad. She has great vision and an eye for goal, but there are rumours of her leaving the club, and her participation in the last eight is not yet guaranteed.
Did you know?
During the coronavirus crisis Atlético’s Silvia Meseguer, who is about to finish her medicine degree, volunteered to help at Madrid’s temporary hospital, IFEMA. Meseguer has been trying to balance her education and football career for years and last season she retired from the Spanish national team to be able to focus more on her medical career.
Which player could surprise everyone in Spain?
Leicy Santos joined on a loan from Santa Fe at the beginning of the season. Although she has only played 170 minutes in the WCL, she has proven to be the team’s best signing this year and a key part of Atléti’s midfield. This summer, the club signed her permanently on a contract until 2024.
What is the realistic aim for Atlético in the WCL?
Barcelona are the favourites in the quarter-finals, even more so after Atlético had to suspend training due to the Covid-19 cases, but their new signings also make this team unpredictable. But even if they would get past Barça then Wolfsburg – who should defeat Glasgow City comfortably – are likely to be too strong. The German side have already beaten Atlético twice in this competition, making it hard for the Colchoneras to dream beyond the semi-finals.
European pedigree
This is Atlético’s fourth participation in the Women’s Champions League and the very first time they have qualified for the quarter-finals. They have been knocked out in the Round of 32 once by Wolfsburg (in 2017-18), and in the Round of 16 twice, by Lyon in 2015-16, and Wolfsburg in 2018-19.
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