This time Atletico Madrid seem like they have started to improve their form earlier compared to the previous season. This is a good sign for them to fight for top places easier. I don't know if they can maintain their claim for the title until the end of the season but we will see. If they are eliminated from the Champions League early then their main target would be the La Liga. Otherwise I don't know how much good they can balance both tournaments.
Their next game is against Girona home and I expect a comfortable win. They had better win that before playing a very difficult game against A. Bilbao after that.
I don't think Atletico Madrid's performance is good enough. Atlético Madrid has won 4 out of 7 matches. And they scored 12 goals in 7 matches. The performance of Athletic Club and Real Betis is still better than that of Atletico Madrid. And so it is still completely uncertain whether Atlético Madrid will qualify for the Champions League. Atlético Madrid will not fight for the title. Atletico Madrid's aim is to qualify for the Champions League. They have a strong squad. If the coach is able to implement his match strategy correctly, maybe Atletico Madrid will qualify for the Champions League.
Atletico Madrid will play against Girona in their next match, which is scheduled for this week. It seems to me that this is an opportunity for Athletico Madrid to improve their position in the table by winning this game. The fact remains that Atletico Madrid hasn't had a very fruitful season so far in terms of performance. Obviously, they are not going to be a serious contender for the La Liga title this year. In the best case scenario, they will be fighting for at least of the top four spots. I really think that they should start playing a little more aggressively.
The reason why I believe that they are so inconsistent is that they are always playing such a defensive game. My hope is that they will be able to understand that if they continue to play defensively, they are almost certain to continue to concede goals.