Atletico Madrid are good in starting well, but once the season get to the middle then you will begin to see them reducing points that will make them not to recover till the end of the tournament.
Atletico is indeed a great club. However, they have gaps in terms of squad depth. Substitute players do not have the capacity and capability to approach the main players. It was not visible at the start of the season. But in the middle of the season, a busy match schedule and the risk of injury are a scary threat for teams that don't have good squad depth.
I also admit that their team is very strong and their performance this season is very good compared to last season. It is true that substitute players are only second-tier players to replace core players. Of course it will reduce the good performance early in the game, but all of that must be done if the first player has to be sent off and there is no other choice but to replace the main player. I am sure Diego Simeone will provide the same instructions and training as the main players and what is certain is that the substitute players will try hard to fight with the team. It is indeed important for football clubs to have quality substitute players who are able to fill key positions when needed. A lack of squad depth can take a toll on a team's performance, especially if key players are injured or tired.
So I think it is necessary to increase the team's resilience, Atletico management may need to consider a strategy to strengthen the depth of the squad, either by developing young players or buying additional players.
Atletico Madrid learned from last season's mistakes and they proved at the start of this season that they have improved a lot.
I don't think there are many things they need to change anymore, this team is a pretty solid team and they often make fierce competition at the top of the La Liga standings, it's just that last season they were a little down and they have fixed that.
Diego Simeone has coached Atletico Madrid for a long time and he really knows what this team needs, and Diego Simeone is also very capable of creating or uniting chemistry between players, they don't need star players but Diego Simeone has succeeded in making this team much more solid.