Whisper it quietly, but Atlético Madrid are starting to find their mojo under Diego Simeone. After winning just one of their first six matches, Atlético eked out a 3-2 win vs. Rayo Vallecano courtesy of Julián
Alvarez’s hat-trick before the Rojblancos demolished Real Madrid 5-2 on home soil. That derby win has proven to be a turning point for Atleti; Simeone’s men then thrashed Eintracht Frankfurt 5-1 before drawing 1-1 at Celta de Vigo despite playing down a man for an hour.
After the October international break, the Colchoneros snuck past Osasuna 1-0 before they fell to a 4-0 defeat at Arsenal. However, they bounced back in stellar fashion with a 2-0 win at Real Betis, a 3-0 win vs. Sevilla, a 3-1 win vs. Union Saint-Gilloise, and a 3-1 win vs. Levante before the year’s final FIFA break.
However, they face a stern task this Sunday as they look to navigate a tricky opponent in Getafe, and if they are to come away with a fifth straight win, they’ll need Alexander Sørloth to be at his best.
As has been the case for the majority of his professional career, Sørloth has experienced ups and downs since he signed for Atlético 15 months ago in a €32 million transfer.
Born in Trondheim, Norway, Sørloth was a highly-touted prospect Rosenborg’s academy and eventually made the jump to professional football there before heading to Bodø/Glimt on loan, where he racked up an impressive 14 goals and 6 assists in 29 appearances. That attracted the attention of Eredivisie side Groningen, which signed him in 2016.
Sørloth then bounced around from the Netherlands, to Denmark, to England, to Belgium, to Türkiye, and to Germany before eventually he eventually landed in Spain. In 2021, he signed for Real Sociedad, where he spent two years before he departed the Basque Country for Villarreal — and it was at La Cerámica where the big Norwegian established himself as one of the best strikers in Spain.
In 2023/24, Sørloth looked set to secure the Pichichi after he bagged four goals in the season’s penultimate match vs. Real Madrid. But he was hauled off due to injury 17 minutes into the season finale, and Girona’s Artem Dovbyk leapfrogged him with a hat-trick against Granada.
Sørloth joined a select number of Atlético players to begin their stay with a scoring start — and he made history in his debut season. He scored against Villarreal on the opening night of last season, and his stoppage-time winner at Barcelona earned Atleti its first league win at the Blaugrana for 19 years. On May 10, Sørloth shattered David Villa’s 19-year record by becoming the first player in LaLiga history to score a hat-trick before the 12th minute, later adding a fourth goal vs. Real Sociedad in the 30th minute.
Sørloth finished the season as the club’s top scorer in LaLiga with 20 goals, though he was unable to find the back of the net in any of his 11 UEFA Champions League and FIFA Club World Cup matches. Outside of LaLiga, Sørloth made his greatest impact in Atleti’s Copa del Rey run — a campaign that included a goal in the quarterfinal against Getafe, Sunday’s opponent that is one point off of sixth place.
There’s still a lot of work to be done as Atlético look to get their season up and running. The Rojiblancos currently sit fourth in the LaLiga table — one point behind Villarreal, three behind Barcelona and six behind Real Madrid — as well as 17th in the UEFA Champions League table. Atleti cannot afford a second slip-up in as many seasons against Getafe, and it’s clear that Simeone will need Sørloth to deliver the goods at the Coliseum — where the big man scored a go-ahead penalty in March, the opening goal of a stunning 2-1 loss.
Sørloth has struggled to deliver so far this season, frustrating Colchoneros around the world. He came off the bench for the season opener before starting and scoring in Atleti’s next match vs. Elche; that earned another start against Alavés, against whom he conceded a first-half penalty. He returned to the 11 and scored in the Madrid Derby, but another month passed before his next start against Arsenal. He came off the bench at Betis before starting in their following two league matches vs. Sevilla and Levante; based on recent form, he will be a strong consideration to start on Sunday
Sørloth sticks out like a sore thumb amongst Atleti’s attacking options. He has the height and physicality to serve as a magnet for physical duels, and he has shown a great capacity to free up space for his teammates.
But it us precisely these attributes which have seen him enjoy consistent success against a physically-imposing team like Getafe that relishes the dark arts of the game. Los Azulones have a rock-solid backline that has conceded just 14 goals from 12 games, and they have proven to be a thorn in Atleti’s side after many years even failing to score in this fixture.
If there’s one player who knows how to unlock their backline, it’s Sørloth. He scored in all three meetings with Getafe last season — and after he scored twice for FIFA World Cup-bound Norway over the break, he’ll be looking to stay on target at the weekend.
