For over a decade, Atletico Madrid found it impossible to beat city rivals Real.
Yet in the last couple of seasons, it is the more illustrious club that has struggled to get wins in the Madrid derby.
That was illustrated this weekend as an injury-ravaged Real were thrashed 4-0 by Atletico at the Vicente Calderon, which allowed Barcelona to close the gap to one point at the top of the La Liga table.
For Atletico, it keeps them within striking distance of the summit as they aim to retain the title they won last year.
"It could have been 5-0 or 6-0. They were so dominant and they are now indisputably the best team in Madrid. They are now unbeaten in their last six games against Real Madrid, with four wins. It was a really emphatic performance and probably their best performance of the season and came up against Real's worst performance," said football writer Ben Lyttleton on Off The Ball as always on a Monday.
Gareth Bale has also attracted further criticism after his sub-par performance in the derby.
"It's almost like Bale is a lightning rod for the critics because he's the new kid, he's the foreign kid. Ronaldo had to put up with a bit of criticism in his first few years as well. As far as Carlo Ancelotti and everyone at Real Madrid is concerned, Bale is totally blameless in this current run."
Meanwhile, Ben wondered whether Diego Simeone could succeed at another club when he eventually leaves Atletico.
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