Regardless of wether they win the title or not this season, Atletico has broken the long cycle of us and Real Madrid running away with the race, so even if they don't win it at the end this season, they kept pace with us and Real till the end (in the case of this season for us maybe just real:( ) and ending La liga's chief problem atleast for this season, however, my question is.. can Atleti keep it up and be a regular title contender every season? or is this a one time thing? will La liga return to normal or is this the new order of the liga and maybe start a revolution in the league and be the first step in a major shift in the way the league plays out every season.

Atletico Madrid playes with heart just like Liverpool or Fenerbahçe this season. And it's not just League of course. They are in CL Semis and that's really amazing for a team with this squad compared to others. They have the biggest chance to be the Champions of Spain right now and like you said it's never easy for a League which have Real Madrid and Barcelona. I really hope They'll be the Champions and play in CL Final.

No they can't, Barca and Real are monsters with endless budgets. It will probably last for one or two seasons, because barca have their ban in the transfer window, and because atleti's team are too good to turn to shit over the summer, but real and barca will eventually regain their position of only title contenders. Because of money, it's hard to think atleti will be able to build up another title challenging team anytime soon. That's the difference, while atleti needs to build their team, which takes time, and a little of luck in your investments, Real and Barca can just buy one.

I think they are like BVB in 2012, they make big step forward without spending big amount of money. Then their key players will be sold. I really hope they will win at least La Liga this year.

i think they will be up there a few more years, but they will be having to deal with company from us, PIZZI is building a monster team with us since he took the coaching role this january and we are also getting a new investor.... a 4 horse race.. maybe even up to a 5,6,7 or 8 horse race if la real, atletic, villarreal and sevilla step up

god i love La Liga

^^ wut?

You're 8th, mate.

Honestly, Atletico will probably hang in there a season or two as contenders, but the moment anyone comes in with big money for their players, they'll be forced to sell (still 400m in debt). I think the analogy with BVB was spot on; look at how much everyone thought the Bundesliga was going to become oh-so-exciting, just because of the great year Dortmund had last year.

Now look at the points gap there.

Atletico should be praised (as should Liverpool) for breaking the status quo this year, but, it's going to be even harder to do it again next season. Probably back to a 2-horse race next season.

@knibis
"we are also getting a new investor.... a 4 horse race.. maybe even up to a 5,6,7 or 8 horse race "

Ohhh Lodatz :), glad to see you here, where have you been ?
Anyway good to see you back :)

Atletico is rising no doubt at least to be CL contender each year, they are being healthy for years now and they faced the departure of many of their good players : Torres, Aguero, Falcao to say a few.
They are winning many fans around the world, and they showed great skills in scouting, so im giving them their chance to make their club bigger.
Also like Dortmund who is also rising, they have a world class coach Simeone, that leaded them to be title contenders....

But yes, nobody thought Atletico will have that amount of points at this moment of the season, even Barça who let them Villa for 4M, they would never thought they was a threat, specially without Falcao...

But it will be really dificult to produce the same next year, specially if Simeone leave or if they sell players, at this level now, you cant sell your best players and be competing each year...
But im very proud of what they achieved this year, Simeone coach of the year !!

Atleti have a great coach and fantastic Squad. If they win CL and La Liga their big players are more likely to stay. Over the summer they might strengthen the team even further. It's really crucial that Simione and Costa stay with the club. Over the years they have consistently sold their best players. Now at the very top they can attract big players and investors will take notice.
For me Barca is the one who might struggle in next years title race. There is a big mess in the club behind the scenes. I really like what I've seen from Sevilla this season, they've played great football.
Atleti can go from strength to strength. This could be their golden age like Barca 06-09.

@Wolfie Thats a very optimistic view, i dont mind having them in this level for a long time, they make competition even better in the League.
But they are winning games actually by their fighting spirit and they are giving a lot of energy to win the title, if they win it this year it could be one of the biggest achievements i have seen in Modern Football, but it will be hard to focus next year.
I agree they have a good History and can keep their players if they give them new big contracts, but those players need to love the Club and stay while big money teams are keen on signing them.
And for Barça golden age, you didnt include Guardiola team ? He left in 2012....

The purchase of Neymar really changed the team dynamic. Even though I think Neymar is a great talent, Barca didn't need him. What they needed was two solid CB's and goal keeper. Without a happy Messi, Barca will struggle. Pep knew how to keep Messi happy. Give him the ball and let him work his magic. This season Martino has proved he has to be replaced.
For me 08/09 was Barca's pinnacle. After that it started to slightly dip. 10/11 was their last hurrah. 11/12 season Real closed the gap, which they continue to do. And in 12/13 was really the great decline in European superiority. Barca need a new coach to find that spark. Maybe Neymar needs to be sold to regain the balance. Sanchez and Pedro fit better with the squad and Messi remains the focal point.

for Knibis's arguement ,don't doubt what Valencia can do guys. Valencia have been a title team and a UCL challenging team before and will eagerly want to get back among the fold of the elite, and they have many ways to do it.

Question for Knibis.. are Valencia for sale or are the current board considering bringing in investors with major money? i heard a rumor a few times.. is it true.. if so, then we could see it sooner then expected.

Atletico will manage to keep this form next season (provided that Simeone stays). But they'll eventually go back to being an average 3rd place team because they are in massive debt and Real and Barca have bottomless budgets.

This team has characteristic, but to be honest, this kind of performance's happened everywhere in every league every once in a while. There will be a strong team take on the whole league and surprise everyone and their level drop a bit (sometimes massively) the next season. When their surprise element is no longer surprise and every team will pay special attention to them. Then the financial stuff will drain them down to each of their best player. :(

having said that, I think Atletico will be a strong force for several years to come (especially if Simeone stays), they will always be hard to beat, but like @Dyn said they will be back to their 3rd place team soon.

They will go on a 3~5 year slump( 3rd~4th place) while paying their debts. But if they manage to keep Simeone they will build up to become a permanent threat.
At least that's how I think they should do it.

Just like Fabryi said, they are this season's BVB. A team with the best posible coach, players that play with all their heart and a big passionate fan base to keep their spirit. But they will definitely not keep this going for the next seasons, best case they will end up 2nd next season. Despite being a great team Barcelona and RM are still very superior as football clubs. Usually this teams who have great runs in a certain seasons (not being one of the regular top clubs in a certain league.) cant keep up their form in consecutive seasons.
Back with BVB example, Bayern ended up proving they are the big team in Germany, they took out their wallet and proved they have what it takes to end BVB fantasy. Teams like BVB and Atletico dont have the monetary factor to keep them on top. Specially when compared to bigger spender clubs.
IMO At. Bilbao and specially Sevilla are the teams to watch next season. This end of season in La liga has been fantastic and for the first time in my entire life I cant wait to watch next La Liga season.

When Liverpool finished four points off Manchester United in the 2008-09 English Premier League season, many thought it would be the start of numerous title challenges for Rafael Benitez's side.

Then, Xabi Alonso left for Real Madrid, and the club finished seventh the following campaign. The deep-lying playmaker was without doubt an important part of the way they played, but it wasn't solely his move that saw them underperforming.

Faced with numerous injuries, they hadn't recruited enough quality players to deal with the on-pitch crisis. The Anfield outfit had a very good team but little strength within the squad.
The reason for this was that the owners, Tom Hicks and George Gillett, had placed a huge amount of debt on the club when acquiring it through a leveraged buyout. They needed to sell their best players and buy cheaper alternatives as a substitute.

It's a situation that Atletico Madrid fans should pay particular attention to. Three years ago the club sold David De Gea to Manchester United for a British record for a goalkeeper; his replacement has been the on-loan Thibaut Courtois.

The Belgian's superb form has meant that De Gea hasn't been missed, but it's the fact that they don't own the Chelsea stopper that should cause some concern. The De Gea money is servicing debt.

As you would expect, there are a lot of smoke and mirrors from the chief executive and majority shareholder Miguel Angel Gil Marin and from club president Enrique Cerezo. This excellent look at the club's accounts—done 18 months ago by The Swiss Ramble blog—identifies the huge problems.

Most money generated from winning either La Liga or Champions League would be used to make debt repayments. Success on the pitch means there will be little concern for all this from supporters when competing for titles, but that will change when there is a significant, and often quick, drop in performances.

For instance, at Manchester United, the chants for the removal of the Glazer family will get distinctly louder if the poor achievements continue under David Moyes.

The green-and-gold campaign that can be seen at the Vicente Calderon was taken from those in Manchester, but both clubs have seen their protests pushed under the radar.

Walking toward Old Trafford recently, many fans took no more than a little glance at the Love United, Hate Glazer headquarters before the Champions League quarter-final with Bayern Munich. I'm sure their interest will now grow as they won't even be in next season's competition.

Liverpool's Spirit of Shankly union were prominent in the removal of their former owners, with Hicks even telling Sky Sports News that their "organised internet terrorism campaign" scared off potential buyers, per the Press Association (via The Guardian).

Atleti's union are called Senales de Humo, which translates to "smoke signals." It will be a bit more difficult to remove Gil Marin and Enrique Cerezo, especially while Diego Simeone has the team performing miracles.

Atletico Madrid will need to sell at least one of their star players this summer regardless of trophies that they acquire. Their use of the third-party ownership scheme means that their transfer dealings are far from transparent.

There's a solid first 11 with a couple of a very good substitutes that can cope with one or two players leaving; however, unless they continue to unearth gems, there will be a natural decline.

Simeone has installed a work rate and mental attitude that won't leave upon the sale of one player. The problems occur when the Argentine realises it's time to move on and seek a fresh challenge.

They will probably be competing across major fronts for the foreseeable future. But they are unlikely to find themselves in such a commanding situation—Champions League semis and La Liga leaders—this late in a season for the next few years.

Bleacherreport.com

Athletico Madrid has clearly showed that money is not everything...

@fabryi haha you dont know shit about la liga, Valencia has 2 la liga titles since 2000, Atleti 0, Valencia has 2 semi-finals in CL and Atleti have 0, valencia has more seasons in CL since 2000, we even have more seasons in CL since 2010 than atleti.. we are a big enough club to have potential to bounce back to the top and its not impossible for teams like La Real, Atletic and Sevilla to be in a title race one year in the future,hence 5-8 horse race, its so obvious some people dont follow La Liga week in and week out, year in and year out here on footyroom

@boix the sale proccess will be done on the 17th of may, 7 bids were taken in... :) it will happen, we will have money for the transfer window...

@knibis I hope you are right but, I can't see it happening. Only if someone get pump money into the team like Manchester City did.

You know, it always cracks me up when knibis tries this little tactic of his. "You don't follow La Liga!" he says, followed by the usual "you don't know anything about La Liga" etc etc, which is his way of saying that his opinion must be better than yours, just because he likes La Liga more than you do.

The problem is: he's wrong. Again.

See, here's a break down of the La Liga table over the past 10 seasons (it was 11 seasons ago that anyone other than Real or Barca won the league, remember, back in 2004). This shows the Top 2, the points for each of the Top 4, and how many points there was in difference between 1st and 4th, and then between 1st and 3rd.

As you can see, out of the 20 possible 1st or 2nd spots available over this time period, only 4 teams have achieved this, and Real or Barca have won 18 of them. That's 90%. A staggering 90% of the Top 2 spots over the last 10 years have gone to the 2 old favorites.

Compare that to the Premier League, where 5 teams have filled these slots. That's: Chelsea, United, Liverpool, Arsenal and City. Admittedly Chelsea and United have 75% between them, proving who has been the Top 2 consistently there, but 75% is a damn sight better than 90%.

You'd think that someone who follows La Liga as much as knibis would know about Real and Barcelona's dominance, and just how huge it has been, wouldn't you?

"But wait, Lodatz!" you might cry, looking at this table. "That doesn't mean that it was only a 2-horse race, because every year there were more than 2 teams who were contenders!"

In which case let's look at another stat from this table: the points differentials from 1st to 4th, and from 1st to 3rd. If you look closely.... that's a lot of points separating the Top 2 from the rest of the 'horses' in the race. There have been, literally, only 2 seasons in the last 10 years in which the Top 3 were separated by less than 10 points, and a whole 4 in which the gap was over 20.

But is that a lot?

Well, let's compare those figures with some figures from other leagues. Here are the Premier League's stats for that same period, followed by the Bundesliga and then Serie A:

Well. Would you look at that. Turns out that all 3 other leagues have been closer in points than La Liga. In fact, I took the trouble of totaling up each difference, to get a fair idea of how far the Top 2 have been from the rest of the pack.

The Bundesliga and the Premier League appear to have been about even in that regard (though there is more variety in Germany (7 teams filling those 20 spots, with Bayern is the obvious dominant force there), while Serie A is a little more imbalanced (5 teams, with Inter, Roma and Juve as the big guns (6, 5 and 5 respectively)) but still not as bad as the Spanish league.

As you can see, in Spain there are more points separating the Top 2 from even the rest of the Top 4 than anywhere else in the big leagues.

So, not only does La Liga have the highest concentration of domination (90% going to Real and Barca), but they've also had a greater distance in points between that domination and everyone else, making them, literally, the most two-horse race in all of the top European leagues. Most people don't need this spelled out for them in statistics and facts. Most people apparently already understand this fact, and thus form their opinions based upon the reality of Spain's decade-long two-horse race.

In fact, it seems that the only one who doesn't pay enough attention to La Liga... is knibis.