TROUBLE IN PARADISE; WHY ATLETI SUFFERS
One of the notable makers of any football club is style and the Colchoneros need no introduction in that regard. In the past 11 years under Diego Simeone we have seen the most elite of sporting projects marked by a distinctive defensive play.In the decade before Simeone became manager of Atletico, the Colchoneros could only boast of a Europa league win and a UEFA Super Cup win which all came under Quique Sanchez Flores in 2009. In that period they placed 11th twice and 7th three times managing narrow top 4 entries only twice. Not very successful right? In the previous years the club had seen success domestically under Helenio Hereira in the mid 90's where they won and defended the La Liga title in 1950 and 1951.
Clearly in most of the colchonero's history they have been playing second fiddle to other powers in Spain but after Simeone's appointment in December 2011, the mattress makers have moved up a notch. Impressively, El Cholo has never placed below 3rd in any of his first 7 seasons. Considering the state of the club under Gregorio Manzano, which was just 4 points from the drop spot, that kind of transformation is mighty impressive.El Cholo's success on the field is ever more evident in his two la Liga wins in 2014 and 2020. Simeone also managed two champions league finals in 3 years knocking out Grand Masters like Barcelona and Bayern Munich. Until the very last minute Atletico looked good to be champions. Simeone also has two Europa league wins and 2 UEFA Super cup wins as well as other notable trophies.
Another underrated success is the economic transformation. Simeone has consistently managed to sell and replace quality players giving Atletico economic sensibility. Alongside Benfica and Chelsea, Atletico is one of the few elite sides to make sales of 1 billion since 2011.Another flex for the Simeone management is the Wanda Metropole. In history Atletico has always been the poor neighbors to Real Madrid, a subset of Bilbao. But after the Metropole was built and hosted a champions league final, it is impossible to look down on the Colchoneros because they have a stadium better than the San Mames and financial muscles almost similar to Real Madrid.The neighbors are no longer poor.
For all of Simeone's good works it seems that his well built dynasty is slowly falling apart. Simeone has always overperformed with inferior squads to Real Madrid and Barcelona obviously for financial reasons. For the first time ever the Colchoneros are not poor. Also thanks to shambolic mismanagement by the Catalan and Madrid giants Atletico has the best squad in Spanish top flight football. Well stocked in every position from attack to defense, this Madrid side should thrive exceedingly, however Diego Simeone continues to struggle in defensive and attacking patterns and it is so clear that he is already underperforming.
The first problem with the side is their pressing patterns. Typically under Simeone the formation is a 4-4-2 system with the two forwards pressing conservatively and shadowing your deep lying play maker which forces you to go long. Odds are Athleti wins the air battle and restarts play. However with a side filled with as much attacking potential Simeone must change the whole system because no matter how you put it these players are more valuable going forward.
Last year El Cholo won the La Liga conceding just 25 goals. It is January and he already has 26. Marc Andre Ter Stegen has a prevented goal of 0.35 per 90 minutes, the only one with a worst record is Oblak who has 0.37. It doesn't take a magician to know that the principles of play which El Cholo holds dear is not working.
The sad bit about this piece is the attacking talent being wasted. Simeone signed an exceptionally talented young footballer in Joao Felix who has since just played in 41% of the available games. De Paul needs better attacking movement to augment his long balls, Angel Correa, Griezmann, Thomas Lemar and Marcos Llorente are all players who could thrive under better attacking systems.It's been 11 years already since the Argentine was appointed and every bit of it has been wonderful or intriguing to say the least. You could never write a Simeone's side off because you just don't know what he'll pull off. With a game in hand Simeone's side are 4th just below Real Betis and a few points above struggling Barca. It seems fair to ask Athleti fans to wait on Diego after all he's done for the club but a man can not give you what he does not have.
A more attacking oriented coach is needed. One who wouldn't demand so much from Enrique Cerezo but would maintain a culture of wining for the club. Off the top of my head I can think off no one better than Ernesto Valverde. Regardless of how Barcelona fans made it seem Valverde is a very good coach who is well accomplished. In his time with the Blaugranes he won the La Liga twice and always qualified out of the champions league with a game in hand. More impressive is his youth project at the San Mames. If Atleti is ready for a change they should give the man a call, it would be a match made in heaven.
I feel an attacking masterclass is just above the Argentine's pay grade. El Cholo has deliberated his departure a couple of times before and to me there is no better time to leave than this. The club has a good young talented squad, they are stable economically and are easily a big European force all thanks to Simeone. Everything has to come to an end, the trick is knowing when to say goodbye. I think this love story must come to an end; with Atletico taking the next step to an attacking suited traditional coach like Ten Hag and Simeone taking a sabbatical to rediscover his principles. Hopefully the next time we see the Argentine he would be even better.
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