what with losing thrice against barca and winning billions against real madrid including a crazy 4-0 win.
anyone no what's going on????????????

It probably has to do with their playing style. I'll try and explain.

Atletico lose to Barca because of the contrast in style. Atletico play physical and compact defense. This is useless against Barcelona forwards and midfielders for two reasons.

1. Barcelona thrive in small spaces. Messi, Iniesta, and Neymar will love opportunities like that. Being half-a-foot shorter than most Atletico players, these players can glide past them with ease.

2. Physical defense against Barcelona has to be controlled. Atletico are straight up dirty. You can't play dirty against small players. Shoving one of them will result in the smaller player falling over. It is too easy to get fouls called against smaller players, so Atletico shoving around Messi will only get them booked that much easier. Whereas shoving and kicking bigger players gives you more leeway. It takes more force to knock down a player like Benzema than Neymar. If you watch the Real game closely, you'll notice that small players like Carvajal, Isco, and Jese are brilliant against Atletico.

Atletico win against Real for a multitude of reasons.

1. Our forwards are giants. Like I said above, Atletico can physically bully our forwards into corners and tight spaces, where players like Ronaldo, Bale, and Benzema cannot function. They are counter-attacking players, not possession players. Their bodies are too large to get past small and tight spaces.

2. Atletico's style is a perfect counter to ours. Real tend to rely on a strong possession mixed with quick counter-attacks. Atletico's defensive style allows them to nullify any possible counter-attack, and Real's possession game does not involve quick passes, leaving Atletico with very little danger. Barcelona are very capable of moving the ball fast, and that's how they can wreck Atletico's defense by having them run from side to side of the pitch and not touch the ball. Real's players don't move the ball fast enough to fool the Atletico defenders.

3. We did have an injured James, Modric, Pepe, Ramos, and a suspended Marcelo. Almost half of our starting lineup was missing today. No excuse to lose, but it does certainly contribute.

^ Exactly.

To summarize, Barcelona is paper, Real Madrid is scissors, and Atlético is rock. And yes, Atlético wouldn't have won by more than 2 goals if Madrid had all their players. These kinds of matches are always close and intense.

@Dynastian
point 3 is absolutely not an excuse, Modric alone shifts the team's balance.

^sorry but why, would u say it's not an excuse, we did miss 5 key players

100% Agree with @Dynastian, couldn't have said it better. Thats why Di Maria was so good against Atletico, he's like Neymar or Messi, who was amazing in tight spaces, and could get out of them easily, his agility was out of this world. And @Rayrex what @Shpalman meant is that its not an excuse, and that point 3 is very valid as to why we lost 4-0.

The players we lost are CRUCIAL for the team, Marcelo can offer both attacking and defensive work better than Coentrao, 3 of the goals were through Fabio's wing. Ramos and Pepe missing as well is a huge blow, our defense was weak enough, and without our two starting CB's, things became even more difficult. Modric, he brings balance to the team, and gives Kroos much more mobility, Luka rearely looses the ball, and has a vision that is out of this world. James brings a connection from the midfield to the attack, giving players like Ronaldo, Bale and Benzema more spaces, and finding them with his amazing passes, as well as scoring a goal here or there.

Beating Atletico with our strongest side is hard enough, but is becomes almost impossible with 5 of our best players missing...

Dynastian explained it perfectly. +1

@rayrex
meaning that is not just an excuse but a very valid point since Modric alone gives lot of balance to the team. i'm actually strengthening your point.

Oh, than sorry @shpalman I didn't notice lol.

Disagree with @Dyn, physical play WILL ALWAYS work against smaller players. I am one myself. Unless you are extremely good like Barca. If Messi is not in form, Barca's dead too.

Another question, in your theory: how did it work like a charm last year, and a lot of games like that.? Chelsea did too.

This year they tried to attack Barca. and most importantly, they face Barca when Messi is on TOP form. That's like a real hard mission. Last year, Messi was off form and injured.

As for Real, the injury problem and rotation (which causes less chemistry within a team cost them). And especially the missing of Modric, a player who can mix up opponent's system badly.

@sphalman: I just made the EXACT same point in another thread about Modric like you said. This guy can mix up everything and make opponent system goes weird... a lot of Real's problem will solve themselves when he's in. Last year I said the same, that Ronaldo is great but Modric is Real's UTMOST important player.

MU should have freakin' have him :( :( :(

Tuan Modric is ours. back off pls k? :P

@RealMadrid17th On the other hand, you're not getting De Gea either lol

I dont want De Gea... Iker is just fine

@Tuan

It worked last year because Atletico didn't try to attack. This season, they're repeatedly trying to press high and attack Barcelona. Last season, in all 6 of their matches, they parked the bus. It was literally two lines of 4 with Atleti's defenders and midfielders (Juanfran, Godin, Miranda and Luis in one line; Turan, Koke, Gabi, and Tiago/Suarez in another line). When they've tried to attack Barca this season, they've been hammered on the counter by an in-form Messi, a rejuvenated Neymar, and a hungry Suarez (see the pun?). Neymar is a better player this season, allowing Messi to have more options on his hand. Suarez is also a step over Alexis, despite his horrid goalscoring record so far, and he sets up Neymar and Messi brilliantly.

@rm17iker will retire soon though

Barca are paper, Real are scissors, Atletico are rocks.