Atlético Madrid and their loyal, passionate Argentinian manager Diego Simeone have propelled themselves to the top of La Liga this season, above rivals Real Madrid and Barcelona, after a 26 game unbeaten run in 2020 which puts them in touching distance of their first league title in 7 years.
Simeone has been at the club for a decade and one of the longest serving managers in Spanish football history. So how have Atlético suddenly took the top spot?
'Los Rojiblancos' are a very decorated club with several domestic and European cup triumphs. Simeone as a player won two La Liga's on the bounce with Atletico at the same time as Arsenal's invincibles.
He was a tenacious midfielder who was extremely competitive and versatile. He often was known for his vigorous aggression towards his opponent when trying to win possession, also for his nimble body movements and quick feet to fly past his defenders.
'El Cholo' is one of the most adaptable and all-round midfielders ever seen in the game. He once described his style of play as "holding a knife between his teeth".
Simeone also surpassed football icon Diego Maradona in Argentina caps showing his relevance and talent he showed for his national team.
In 2011, he took charge of his former club and began immediately with unprecedented success for Atlético Madrid winning 2 Europa Leagues in 3 years. Additionally, he led the side to a Copa Del Rey final win against arch rivals Real Madrid where he remarkably ended a 14 year and 25 match winless run in the Madrid derby.
You wonder how a manager can be so inexperienced in the beginning yet so successful? Well, Simeone had several great players at his disposal in which he wanted to build unstoppable defensive teamwork.
Atlético have a brilliant youth system producing sensational goalkeepers like Thibaut Courtois and David De Gea or clinical strikers like Fernando Torres and Alvaro Morata. They have a youth system capable of producing players like these and this is fundamentally a crucial aspect to Atletí's development as a club.
Each individual on Simeone's side ruthlessly follows their positional responsibility and he demands usually two banks of four and one of the two strikers in the 4-4-2 like Antione Griezmann in the past or Luis Suarez now, to drop into that second defensive line. Hard work and game intelligence in which Diego Simeone has instilled into his players has made the club renowned for their aggression and commitment as a team.
Unconventional centre-backs and rapid counter attacks are also part of the Argentinian's distinctive game plan.
In the 2020/21 season, Atlético Madrid have defied all odds with the introduction of ex-Barcelona man Luis Suarez who is La liga's top scorer with 16 goals which is one above best mate Lionel Messi.
Atlético have surprisingly adapted a new style of play when it comes to build-up play and possession this season. They have only averaged 13 long passes out of 100 passes which is the second least amount of long passes in La Liga. Despite Atlético still being renowned for their hard work to win the ball back and relying on tactical defence, this reinforces how Simeone was an extremely versatile player and how he has made Atletico as a team just like how he was as a player.
This has ultimately been the reason behind Simeone's success, but will Atlético Madrid hold their own against Europe's top teams in the seasons ahead?
Анна Нэсси, CC BY-SA 3.0 GFDL, via Wikimedia Commons
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