Atletico Madrid still pose a serious threat to Celtic

THE amount of money isn’t always what matters most; it’s often how it’s spent that counts. Since winning the Europa League in 2010, Atletico Madrid have seen star performers dazzled by the bright lights of bigger clubs, with their striker, Diego Forlan, first to go, opting for a life in Serie A, followed this summer by Sergio Aguero. Paid a fortune by Manchester City for their Argentine scorer, the Madrid side barely blinked before recycling the cash, pinning this season’s hopes on Falcao.

The Colombian is a canny replacement for Aguero, provided his talent once again translates to the pitch, where last season he struck a record-breaking 17 goals in FC Porto’s triumphant UEFA Europa League run. Brought in as the transfer window closed, he was joined by the Brazilian, Diego, signed on loan in the hope that his mercurial skills would complement Falcao’s scoring prowess.

Costing a reported ¤40m (£34m), with a further ¤7m (£6m) due in possible add-ons, the fact that 25-year-old Falcao had only just extended his contract at Porto to 2015 suggests that Atletico feel that last season’s cup success was more than a one-off.

Falcao will fill the void created by the departure of Aguero, and while the Spanish side may take a little time to settle – giving Celtic a modest advantage over their group rivals – Falcao remains one of the key dangers, having registered an impressive 41 goals in 51 Portuguese Liga appearances for Porto following his transfer from River Plate in 2009.

Admitting that this Thursday’s opponents are barely shy of Champions League standard, Celtic manager Neil Lennon knows that the second chance afforded his men after the Sion debacle will be a tough one to capitalise on.

With one eye on the Old Firm match that will follow on from the midweek trip, he says the priority for Celtic remains the regaining of the SPL title. The Spaniards will have a different approach according to Jimmy Calderwood, who, as manager of Aberdeen in 2007, was the last man to try to guide a Scottish team past the La Liga side. The battle between Barcelona and Real Madrid is expected to once again dominate domestically, meaning that it could be argued that the Europa League is Madrid’s other team’s best chance of a major trophy.

“The way the Spanish teams play, they always give you a chance, but they are more than just good at passing. The year we were involved they proved they have the winning mentality as well,” said Calderwood. “I remember they had already made sure of going through from the group stage, but we were needing them to do us a favour against Copenhagen. If I’m honest, the game was played in freezing conditions and I thought they just might not fancy it, but they showed they have the right spirit and attitude and they went out and strolled that game.”

The team has evolved from then, but, according to Calderwood, not necessarily for the better. Antonio Lopez, who is now captain, is a valuable remnant of the team and a galvanising leader, having come through the previous transitional period and won the trophy, but questions remain about the attack. “When we played them everything went through Forlan and Aguero so the other guys who have come in will have to fit in quickly. But they will be helped by the fact the game is at home. It’s a great stadium and a brilliant atmosphere. The fans are really fanatical and their players will be lifted by it and Celtic have to use the atmosphere to their advantage as well.”

With a newish manager in place, Gregorio Manzano replacing Quique Sánchez Flores before the conclusion of last season, and new personnel to knit into the side, Atletico have also endured uncertainty in the past week over who they will face in the Estadio Vicente Calderón on Thursday. But Calderwood added: “The thing is, despite finishing only seventh in the league last season, they are arguably the third force in Spain, so I doubt they will mind too much who they face. Spanish teams approach all their matches thinking they are better than the opposition and most of the time they are right!”

“They have Falcao from Porto, who they spent a lot of money on, who had a brilliant tournament last year,” says Lennon. “They have quality players and are a pretty consistent Spanish league team. I would say they would probably be the favourites going into the group. We would have liked to see the Valencia game to see what we were going to come up against, but the time constraints meant it would have been far too tight.”

Which means both sides are going in relatively blind. Atletico, though, have home advantage, and a moneybags batch of individuals to count on, as well as the knowledge that, not too long ago, many of them bettered all comers and won the competition. That belief remains one of the most prized assets.