Atletico Madrid is a club that prides itself on being the underdog. That's what they like to position, even though they're the defending la Liga champions. They do things their own way, as seen in the Champions League knockout games against Manchester City, they are not afraid to shrink their defence to defend their goals. Their coach and spiritual leader Diego Simeone adjusted his already very conservative 4-5-1 formation to a rare 5-5-0 formation and for most of the game, kept one of the world's best attacking teams at some distance from Oblak's goal. But that didn't help them beat the formidable Manchester City, but the result of conceding just one goal over two legs seemed to illustrate that Atletico's lewd playing style left Guardiola's side helpless.
Simeone's passive tactics and Atletico Madrid's dirty style of play have been heavily criticised by some experts, with former Manchester United defender Leo Ferdinand saying the players, including João Felix, who joined for 126 million euros, were unhappy at the Wanda Mets. "I can't imagine him sitting there and enjoying the way he was asked to play," Ferdinand said on social media, "for a player like João Felix, he can't sit on a plane and go home and say: 'They get the best performance from me, they keep getting the best performance from me.'" He wouldn't say that. ”
This season in particular, the situation is a bit exaggerated, with Atletico scoring 57 goals in La Liga this season, just six goals behind the most fierce real madrid. However, in the strong dialogue, Simeone did want the team to play a cautious, gritty game. While some players may prefer to play easier games against other teams, Simeone is an inspiring coach who has witnessed the club's most successful periods during his time at the helm of Atletico over the past decade and has helped this limited team achieve excellent results, competing with the best players in the world from Barcelona and Real Madrid.
Atletico have reached two Champions League finals and won La Liga twice, and many of the players who have left later have decided to return to Atletico, realising that they would not have performed so well anywhere else, even if it meant they would have to run all the time until they ran out of every drop of fluid in their bodies or sacrificed their individual honours for the collective good. Griezmann is the most recent example, having travelled to Barcelona but soon returning, as did Diego Costa, Fernando Torres, Carrasco and Felipe Luiz.
De Paul, who has joined the team this season, told the media: "It is crazy to doubt the idea of Simeone. He's one of the best coaches in the world and he knows what he wants. When things aren't going well, it's because of everyone, and when they're going well, so is it. It's a club, a team. For better or worse, we all know that we have our own responsibilities. We know that Simeone is the head of this team, the person who manages the ship, and we are all on that ship. We believe what he told us, and most importantly, it's because of Atletico's team culture. 'Despite losing 1-0 to Manchester City in the first leg, Oblak and Condobia spoke calmly to the media in Manchester after the match. We played a good game and we all respected the plan for this game," Condobia said. "I believe in the team, I believe everything is possible," Oblak added. 'We came here to get a good result, we lost, but apart from scoring, we defended well throughout the game. Both players seemed satisfied, smiling and happy to be back in the Spanish capital and the fiery Wanda Met, and in the second leg they seemed to be in their hands. They all seemed to have been completely brainwashed by Simeone and fully believed the coach's words.
That's the atmosphere you feel, with former Atletico midfielder Thiago Mendes even describing the coach as "God". Thiago joined Atletico in 2010 under Manzano and after Simeone took over, he noticed many differences, with the Argentine leading the team to La Liga in 2014. "I think for us, for the whole club, he's like God," he explained, "he came to the club and changed everything. What he said was true. If he asked us to jump off the bridge, we would jump. I think he knows a lot about football. We followed him as a whole and we are very proud of him as coach. ”
When you trust your coach to this extent, you're willing to suppress your innate attacking instincts and fight for the team because you trust the plans he has for you and the whole team. A good example is Griezmann, who was a flairious winger at Real Sociedad and a hard-working centre-forward at Atletico. The offense is deadly, and the defense spares no effort. Simeone helped him become "the man I've always dreamed of", Griezmann admits he embraced the opportunity to return to Atletico in the summer of 2021 after a difficult time at Barca. "I want to go back to Atletico, it's a must," he explained, "I'm very satisfied, very happy." Simone helped me get to the best level, so I wanted to go back. The French striker admitted in 2018 that Simeone's first few months in charge were tough, but it was all worth it. Griezmann said: "It took me six months to get used to defending, but now I like it. Sometimes in the national team, the coach would tell me to defend less, but that was natural. Simeone taught me how to defend and I will always be grateful to him. Now, I like to defend. ”
Simeone also sometimes resembles Correa's father, including in the darkest hours of his ball famine. Although most people think of Simone as someone you don't want to get into trouble with, he knows how and when to put his arm around your shoulder – really. Correa missed a fantastic opportunity in the match against Real Betis on 11 April 2021. He left the pitch in tears, and Simeone rushed over to comfort him and pull him closer. "An iconic move," he added. 'I want him to get what he deserves, which is to score goals.' Simone said. Correa then exploded and won him the title, scoring five goals in the next eight games.
"His football intelligence is outstanding, and I like people like that," admits Cristiano Ronaldo, who discovered during his time at Real Madrid that Simeone and Atletico were their biggest rivals. The most famous story is that Manchester City coach Pep Guardiola let Simeone watch a training session in Barcelona in 2009, when the Argentine was coaching in Europe. "It's not useful to me, I don't like it," Simeone told Guardiola that day, speaking about his tactics and how Barca attacked and pressed on the pitch. Guardiola recalled in a documentary about Simeone: "I just thought, 'This f*cker would be fine.'" ’”
Another player who struggled after leaving was Alda Turan. The Turkish midfielder has excelled at Atletico but upon arriving in Barcelona he said he was grateful he didn't have to run that much. However, after leaving, his state plummeted. "Alda Turan hopes to be able to get this training again after trying other training methods," said Atletico's fitness coach Oscar Ortega. "Many people found it difficult to adapt to this approach, but then it paid off. Griezmann, Arda, it was very difficult for them, but once they got used to the way they worked and trained, they reached a very high level. ”
Ortega, known as "El Profe" (the teacher), is a harsh overseer, while Atletico's training sessions are notoriously brutal. But when you believe in the ultimate goal and method like Simone's students, it becomes your way of life. It's as appealing as anything else. "I like the way I play at home at Manchester City," Cork said, "I like the way Atletico play, that passion, that courage, with people who give everything." I like it. ”