There aren’t too many tacticians out there that left such a significant trace that their club’s history can be divided into two – before and after them. Sir Alex Ferguson at Man Utd, Arsene Wenger at Arsenal, Pep Guardiola at Man City… and probably Diego Simeone and his Atletico Madrid, no matter how strange it might look to see the edgy Argentine among those greats.##NAJAVA_MECA_6248514##Before his arrival to Vicente Calderon Stadium in December 2011, Atletico Madrid were far behind the pair of Spanish greats, Real Madrid and Barcelona, with their last La Liga title dating back to 1996 (whose integral part was Simeone himself as a player). Sure, Los Colchoneros weren’t a lousy side by any means in the past, but their last European silverware was the Europan Cup Winners’ Cup trophy in 1962. Since then, they’ve been runners-up in both ECWC (twice) and the European Cup (once), and won UEFA Europa League (once, in 2009) – far from spectacular. But then came Cholo…❤️This is Atlético Madrid’s 7th UEFA club competition quarter-final in the last 9 seasons under Diego Simeone!🔝 Master Tactician#AtleticoMadri|#MUNATL|#UCL pic.twitter.com/e3ZF1zqZG1— #ChampionsLeague (@alimo_philip) March 15, 2022 The high-demanding yet very passionate tactician made a statement in his very first season in the Atleti dugout. Under his guidance, they won the Europa League again, beating Athletic Bilbao in the finals. It was only the beginning of an intense, incredible journey for the club that has risen to heights in every sense of the word. In little more than a decade, they’ve collected as many as two Europa League crowns, added two more Champions League finals (lost both of them against Real Madrid), won two La Liga titles, one Copa del Rey and two pairs of Spanish and European Super Cups.Trippier reveals he got phone calls from Simeone while he was asleepMoreover, they’ve reached at least 1/4 finals seven out of the last nine years in the top European competitions.Last but not least, maybe even more important is what they achieved domestically, which can not be seen by just looking at the charts and tables: during Simeone’s stint, they’ve turned Spanish ‘big duo’ into ‘big trio’.Yes, one can say his style is a bit unique, unorthodox and not so pleasant to watch. But, hey, it brings results and perpetuates the success, season after season, regardless of the names in the squad.Simeone’s defensive wall stood up to Ronaldo and co. at Old Trafford: United are out of CLThose last night’s pitiless words coming from Ralf Rangnick – regarding Simeone’s defence-oriented approach – seem more like a lousy alibi rather than rightful criticism.Unlike Man Utd, Atletico are enjoying a lovely decade, packed with trophies and big wins even on English soil (concurred Old Trafford, Anfield, Stamford Bridge, and Emirates)… Actually, they’re garnering virtues and reshaping the club’s future in a way the Red Devils’ fans would like to see developing in their own backyard.United’s five-year trophy drought suffocates even the silverware-man himself CR 7Those 1-0 hard-fought victories are Cholo’s trademark, and – as things stand – we’re yet to see some more of them in the upcoming weeks and months as Atleti are fighting for new milestones.UEFA CHAMPIONS LEAGUERound of 16, second legTuesday, 8 MarchBayern – Salzburg 7-1 (4-0)/Lewandowski 12 (p), 21 (p), 23, Gnabry 31, Muller 54, 83, Sane 85 – Kjaergaard 71/Liverpool – Inter 0-1 (0-0)/Lautaro 61/Wednesday, 9 MarchReal Madrid – PSG 3-1 (0-1)/Benzema 61, 76, 78 – Mbappe 39/Manchester City – Sporting 0-0Tuesday, 15 MarchAjax – Benfica 0-1 (0-0)/Nunez 77/Man.Utd. – Atl.Madrid 0-1 (0-1)/Lodi 41/Wednesday, 16 March23.00: (2.00) Juventus (3.50) Villareal (4.10)23.00: (4.10) Lille (3.50) Chelsea (2.00)***odds are subject to change
