Diego Simeone is perhaps most well known in England for 'that' incident with David Beckham in the 1998 World Cup that got the England hero sent off, and the rest they say is history. 15 years later and Simeone is at the helm of his former club, Atletico Madrid, who are in the midst of a 100% start to the season. Despite great success since taking over from Greogrio Manzano in 2011- winning the UEFA Cup and following Super Cup, as well as the Copa Del Rey against city rivals, Real Madrid- such a run may have come as a bit of surprise to some at the beginning of the season, particularly after losing their main man Radamel Falcao to Monaco. A huge fee cushioned the blow, but for Los Rojiblancos to continue their success of recent years they had to ensure the squad was added to sufficiently over the transfer window, and this is exactly what Diego Simeone has managed to do. Perhaps Atletico's greatest achievement this season is breaking their hoodoo against Real Madrid, beating them for the first time in the league in since 1999. This has propelled the former Argentine international into the spotlight and he is deservedly being seen as one of the most promising managers in Europe. Could this start to the season be a sign of things to come? and could Atletico go one step further and break up the dominance of Barcelona and Real Madrid?
A look at the La Liga standings shows you how well the season is going, lying 5 points clear of Real and level on points with Barcelona, with 8 wins from 8. Simeone's managerial CV shows you that he has worked his way up, showing real pedigree along the way, firstly winning an Apertura title with Estudiantes and a Clausura with River Plate, as well as saving Catania from relegation, before taking over at Atletico. Teams are often mirrors of their managers and Real Madrid boss, Carlo Ancelotti believes Atletico are no different stating that his side's Madrid rivals showed "perfect positioning, great concentration and character. What Simeone was as a player, Atletico Madrid are as a team." Simeone inherited a strong squad in an attacking sense, with the likes of Falcao and Arda Turan, yet he sought to instill his own characteristics into his players the day he joined and sure enough, they did not concede for his first six games in charge.
Since losing Falcao, Simeone has shown his shrewdness and management skill by bringing in David Villa (for an initial €2.1 million) and Leo Baptistao to bring in goals, as well as much sought after Belgian defender Toby Alderweireld and Josuha Guilavogui to sure up their defensive game. However, arguably his two greatest bits of management in the transfer window, have been retaining the services of Thibaut Courtois on loan from Chelsea for another season and keeping Diego Costa, despite strong interest from Liverpool. Costa's relationship with Simeone seems to be a major factor in him signing a new contract at the Vicente Calderon, and the 'bad boy' of Atletico has repaid his manager's faith in him by starting the season in blistering form with 10 goals in 8 games in the league, going a long way to filling the void left by Falcao. Costa is the embodiment of Simeone's influence, not always playing by the rules but working hard for the team and causing problems with his strength and movement.
Tactics:
One thing that is evident about Diego Simeone's Atletico Madrid this season, is how well they close down as a unit. The triumvirate of Diego Costa, David Villa and Arda Turan have all played their part in seeking to win the ball back, both further up the pitch in games where they are dominant and tracking back when they are not. They have tended to concede possession with an average of 49%, but have hounded teams as they move into midfield or into the Atletico half, and then hit them on the counter-attack. Midfielder, Gabi has also been essential to the game plan, dropping back and maintaining the core of the midfield, whilst tidying up loose balls and turning over possession. This image shows exactly this tactic in action against Barcelona in the Super Copa, where Messi looses the ball amongst a crowd of Gabi, Turan and Godin, whilst Villa heads the line where he can hold the ball up and wait for Costa (near side) and Koke (next to the ref) to make supporting runs, eventually leading to Atletico's goal. What is interesting about the possession Atletico do have is how well they penetrate opposition defences, with approximately 30% of all their passes in the attacking third, made possible by quick breaks and the ability of the full backs to support the attackers to increase the options further up the pitch. This is even more impressive when you see that Barcelona's attacking third figures are only (I use the term loosely) 27%. Finally, Simeone is not afraid to adapt in-game if his tactics aren't working, a sign of an experienced and intelligent manager. In their last Champions League match against Porto, Atletico went in 1-0 down at half time, but ended the game 1-2 victors. Simeone put this down to a change in tactics, switching from 4-4-2 to 4-5-1, stating "When we changed to play five in the centre we felt better on the field. We played better and, bit-by-bit, were able to attack more."
Despite being a man who is known for wearing his heart on his sleeve, Diego Simeone has created stability at a club known for its distinct lack of it. He also seems to have the backing of the players, knowing how to communicate with them, from the position of a former player. He has not made wholesale changes, but shrewd signings such as Villa, whilst getting the best out of the players that were already there, such as Costa and Koke. Atletico Madrid do not have the riches of Barcelona and Real Madrid, but as Valencia (under Rafa Benitez) showed, tactical efficiency, shrewd signings and stability can be enough to win the La Liga title (though this is arguably a much tougher task today). Simeone has recently signed a new contract which will keep him at the club for four more years, and if he can maintain this start to the season and continue to progress, only time will tell what heights Los Rojiblancos can reach under the Argentine.
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