How to evaluate Atletico Madrid coach Simeone

Quoted from Sports Weekly

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Guardiola is gone and Simeone is here. The club idol in his playing days can also bring championships to the team while wearing a tie and sitting on the sidelines, which makes people crazy and intoxicated.

Although they failed to qualify for next season's Champions League at the end of the season, a Europa League is already strong evidence: Atletico Madrid may have really found its own "Guardiola", a A legendary coach who is low-key off the court but can inspire the team's unlimited ambition. But the premise is that Atletico Madrid must lower its profile, remain patient, and give Simeone enough respect and trust. Of course, it's not easy.

Low-key and high-profile

Regarding Simeone, Bielsa told a joke when he was coaching the Argentina national team: "In 2000, Argentina and England played a friendly match at Wembley. Simeone was present He was restless, always gesturing to the stands, looking depressed and embarrassed. It turned out that his father was in the stands, whistling and directing his movements, and scolding: 'This bastard just won't listen. Mine! '"

Simone is calm and calm on the court, with the air of a general. It is rare to see such childish scenes. He is an eternal idol in the hearts of Atletico Madrid and Lazio fans. For England fans, the Simeone who caused Beckham to turn red at the World Cup in France is the embodiment of rudeness and cunning evil.

It is difficult to win the respect of the opponent while winning the game. But Simeone did it. Bielsa, his leader during his playing days, was convinced when he lost in the Europa League final. The old coach is not afraid to admit his mistakes, and he is not afraid to praise Simeone's achievements. This is not a true interaction between master and apprentice, but an objective conclusion drawn from cold data and rigorous tactical analysis.

If you want to win the respect of your opponents, you must first learn to respect your opponents and all football people related to it. It was also difficult, but Simeone did it. Perhaps in terms of football philosophy, Simeone did not follow Bielsa's 3313, but in terms of how to treat people and things around them fairly, Simeone and Bielsa set an example for La Liga and even Spanish football this season.

In the 30th round of La Liga, Atletico Madrid challenged Zaragoza away from home, which was fighting for relegation. Before the game, Simeone embraced the opponent's coach and old friend Jimenez, who played together in Sevilla. "Meeting an old friend in a foreign country" is indeed a blessing, but Atletico Madrid was not lucky enough to escape from La Romeda Stadium. Zaragoza won 1-0 with a penalty kick in the second half. After the game, Atletico Madrid defender Dominguez complained: "It's terrible luck. The opponent only won because of good luck."

But Simeone didn't think so: "This game was very intense, Zarago Salvador performed better and deserved to win. As for the penalty kick, since the referee saw it, it must be the case. "The championship competition between Barcelona and Real Madrid was becoming intense, and the voices of questioning the opponents and the referee never stopped. In such an environment, Simeone's understatement was like a breath of fresh air in the sweltering weather, thus winning the respect of the media and even his opponents.

If Simeone did not have the capital to be proud at that time and had to "save his character" with a low profile, then as the new "European Champion" now, can he make Atletico Madrid's favorite Has your arrogance been revealed? Apparently not. When Simeone took over as Atletico Madrid coach a few months ago, he did not make too many unrealistic promises to the club, including leading the team to win the Europa League or achieving a ranking in the league. He understands that Atletico Madrid's hunger for glory cannot be filled with big words.

After losing to Zaragoza, Atletico Madrid is 7 points behind Malaga, which ranks fifth in the league. Although it is not as difficult as Barcelona's reversal of a seven-point disadvantage, considering Atletico Madrid's two-line pressure, the outside world is not very confident that Simeone can fulfill his promise. Until Atletico Madrid won the Europa League, it became extremely promising for Atletico Madrid to rush to fourth place. On May 13, Atletico Madrid ended the season with a victory, but Malaga also won 1-0. 2 points became what Simeone's team failed to surpass in the end.

Nothing "as it should be"

Simone seems unfazed by the media and fans' attitudes that change almost every day. Before the last round of the game, Simeone explained his views seriously to everyone: "I don't think that our ranking in the league does not reflect our strength or bad luck or something. The starting point of the media's analysis and speculation is All are good. There is only one statement that I don't agree with, which is that with Atletico Madrid's strength, it is "natural" to qualify for the Champions League. The concept of "natural" must be used with caution. "

"You said that you deserved to win, but did others lose as a matter of course? I think this is unfair." Simeone said about this word that is abused in Spanish football circles Not acceptable. "A team strives for what it wants and what it can strive for, but facts have repeatedly taught us that there are not so many 'natural' results on the football field. You may attack 15 times without scoring, but the opponent does. He saved the only offensive opportunity and scored. Everyone has different opinions on football, so we can’t just make a conclusion.”

“When I took over the team at the end of December, the team was 10 points away from the top four positions. Since then, everyone in the media has continued to urge us to achieve the so-called set goal. "Simone's victory over Villarreal is a prerequisite for winning the Champions League ticket, but it also depends on the result of the Malaga game. how. "To this day, we have the last chance to achieve this goal, but our family does not have the final say in the final result. The education I received since I was a child is to win. Victory won with passion is always the best. But still the same sentence You must keep an objective and clear mind at all times and everywhere. The game is not won or lost until it is played."

The softness off the field and the toughness on the field have shaped Simeone into a combination of toughness and softness. Economic football strongman. The teams he leads, whether they are Estudiantes of La Plata, River Plate, Catania or Atletico Madrid, have almost boiling enthusiasm and crazy efforts towards any goal, whether relegation or championship competition.

In 2006, Simeone, who retired from Atlético and immediately entered coaching, successfully curbed the team's downward trend. Half a year later, he led the Estudiantes to win the 2006 Argentine Spring League championship, which was also the first championship in his coaching career. At River Plate, he first led the team to win the 2008 Autumn League Championship, but then created River Plate's worst performance in the league at that time.

Considering the fragmented situation in the Argentine league, Simeone's coaching performance in his home country is very successful. He coached 4 Argentine clubs and won two championships and a runner-up. Now in Europe, he is already the most successful and most admired coach this season. Simeone helped Catania avoid relegation last season and achieve the best ranking in the club's history, and this season he is rebuilding Atletico Madrid's glory. It's all going so smoothly, and the 43-year-old Argentinian has an unlimited future.

Simone's success is good news for Argentine football, and we can even look forward to seeing him strategizing on the sidelines of the World Cup or America's Cup in the near future. However, Simeone's future is still closely linked to Atletico Madrid. He is now a "god in a sheet", but he may one day be like everyone else and "unworthy of wearing this club's crest".

Simone's explanation of "as it should be" is a good indication of his personality and wisdom. Before him, Atletico Madrid had changed 10 head coaches in nearly 10 years. Among them, Aguirre, who had been in charge the longest, only lasted more than two years. In 2010, Flores led the team to win the Europa League, runner-up in the Copa del Rey and finished fourth in the league. Like Simeone, he took office midway and achieved even better results, but he also did not get a job with the club after the end of last season. of retention.

In contrast, Simeone's advantage lies in his high status in the hearts of Atletico Madrid and the fans, alongside Aragones and Recino who previously coached the team. And based on the Europa League alone, he has surpassed Recino. Whether Atletico Madrid can surpass coach Aragones in the future depends entirely on whether Atletico Madrid can calm down its impetuous mentality and give Simeone more patience.

After all, during his more than 30-year coaching career, Aragones sat on the coaching bench of Atletico Madrid on and off for 12 years.