What went wrong with Barcelona? After a blistering start to the season, where they looked like the favorites to win La Liga, their poor form has now left them on the brink of slipping to third in the standings. Atletico Madrid’s win on Saturday only raised further eyebrows, but perhaps not Toni Kroos’, who made a prophetic statement about this very tussle when the season had just begun.
On paper, Real Madrid made the biggest signing of the 2024 summer transfer window by bringing in Kylian Mbappé, which is why many declared them favorites for La Liga in August. Kroos was one of those who did the same.
The ex-Real Madrid midfielder told AS four months ago, “Real Madrid will win the league, I have no doubt.” Not a surprising claim, as it’s exactly what one would expect from a club legend like Kroos.
But what he said next echoed the outcome of Atletico’s game against Barcelona at Montjuïc: “There will be a fight for second place, and Atletico Madrid will beat Barcelona.”
“There will be a fight for second place where Atlético Madrid will beat Barcelona” https://t.co/YH35jFyVom pic.twitter.com/A6qmY18PWm
— 𝟗 🇵🇸 (@GreatWhiteNueve) December 21, 2024
Of course, Kroos’ statement doesn’t predict the overall La Liga standings. Plus, Atletico are currently in first place and will remain there even if Real Madrid win their final match of 2024 against Sevilla at the Santiago Bernabéu.
However, what Kroos said became particularly intriguing because Atletico did get the better of Barcelona. Initially, very few would have predicted this, but in the last five games, Barcelona have won just once, while Atletico have won 12 consecutive matches in all competitions.
Where Real Madrid stands in this
Real Madrid are not currently first in La Liga and had a poor start to the season, with talisman Kylian Mbappé struggling. However, over the past month or so, Los Blancos have shown signs of resurgence and are playing better than they did when Kroos made his prediction.
If they win against Sevilla, Real Madrid will reach 40 points, one behind Atletico Madrid, with both teams having played the same number of games. Meanwhile, Barcelona will sit in third place with 38 points, having played one match more.
So, it seems that, heading into the midway point of the 2024/25 La Liga season, Barcelona will finish third-best in Spain.
Atletico Madrid steal it late against Barcelona
Barcelona played well against Atletico on Saturday, but the Rojiblancos were more clinical in front of goal when it mattered.
Pedri was arguably Barcelona’s best player, pulling the strings in midfield with a brilliant display, and he also scored a beautiful goal assisted by teammate Gavi. However, the Catalan side squandered several chances afterward.
It was 1-0 at halftime, and in the second half, Barcelona had several opportunities to extend their lead, with both Raphinha and star striker Robert Lewandowski failing to convert, thanks to Jan Oblak’s superb goalkeeping.
Then, in the 60th minute, Rodrigo de Paul scored, and in the 96th minute, Alexander Sorloth sealed the win with a second goal, taking Atletico Madrid to the top of La Liga.
