More than any other factor, there is one thing which Real Madrid will have to do to end their dismal recent form against Atletico when the teams go head to head in the Champions League quarter-finals: work harder.
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Although Atletico players such as Antoine Griezmann, Arda Turan and Koke are gifted performers, there can be little doubt that across the two squads, Real easily boast the greater reserves of individual talent.
In the past – in particular the league trip to the Vicente Calderon in February – Real have attempted to draw their inspiration from the knowledge of their individual superiority in their preparations for derby dates with their counterparts at Atletico.
Although they would never be so disrespectful to say so publicly, Real’s players and coaches believe – rightly – that if their local derbies were settled by pure talent alone, they would comfortably prevail.
And they have attempted to play the derbies accordingly, by performing with composure, taking the pace out of the game, maintaining their discipline and trying to make the game all about talent rather than emotion.
There has been one big problem, however: Atletico have refused to allow them to do so. Instead, Diego Simeone’s men have harried, hassled and hurried their Real opponents, never giving them a moment’s peace and forcing them into contesting every single ball.
That, indeed, is what Atletico do every week and it is why they are arguably the most difficult team to play against in world football – they challenge you to match them for intensity and work-rate, and if you don’t they simply brush you aside. Real, then, need to give up their belief that they can win purely by allowing their quality to shine through.
Against Atletico, unless you nullify their physical edge by matching it, talent alone will never be enough.
If Real want an example to follow, they only need to look as far as Barcelona, who headed into their last league meeting with Atletico, at the Nou Camp in January, on the back of a similarly fruitless run against Diego Simeone’s men, with Atletico remaining unbeaten against Barca in six meetings last season.
Rather than continuing to persist with the ‘we’re better than them’ mentality, Barca tore into Atletico, running, tackling, challenging and pressing them high up the pitch, beating them at their own game to earn a well-deserved 3-1 victory.
That is exactly what Real will have to do next month: never mind the quality, they must feel the intensity.
