Diego Simeone held Antoine Griezmann’s head after the Frenchman missed a penalty in the Champions League final defeat to Real Madrid in May. It is impossible to guess exactly what was said between them but it can be assumed Simeone told his forward that Atletico Madrid’s time would come. Whether Simeone would be around to see it was another matter as the impact of the defeat was so severe.
Atletico’s band of unified warriors were turned into mere extras for the Cristiano Ronaldo show at San Siro in May and the haunted look of Juanfran – the full back who missed his penalty in the shootout – became the defining image of the occasion. Simeone skulked into the darkness of the Milan night and some Atletico fans wondered if they’d ever see him again.
After a period of reflection in which he admitted to considering his future, El Cholo's back. Griezmann remains alongside him after a terrific Euro 2016 and there are plenty of reasons to believe that this season could be their best yet. Atletico – as usual – are a distant third in La Liga predictions but that status is all the more baffling on closer inspection. They are ready to once again break the duopoly of Real and Barcelona.
For the first time in a long time, Simeone has been able to plan for the new season without having lost any key players in the summer transfer window. Last year Arda Turan – a mainstay of the Atletico midfield – decamped to Camp Nou. The year before Filipe Luis, Diego Costa and Thibaut Courtois – key components in the 2014 title win - all went to Chelsea. Before that it was Radamel Falcao.
This year, though, Atletico have resisted interest in Griezmann, Jose Maria Gimenez and Saul Niguez meaning that Simeone has been able to improve his squad and not merely replace those who have left.
Atleti have also made a major statement in tying down their top stars to extended deals. Griezmann and Saul – as well as veterans Gabi and Tiago – have all signed new contracts this summer, joining Angel Correa and standout defender Gimenez who agreed fresh terms earlier in 2016. This continuity sends the right message to the players – that something big is being built – and encourages strong allegiance to the club. Atleti will no longer be picked off.
Simeone: I'll never get over CL final defeats
Indeed Costa would have liked to return to the Spanish capital this summer but his exit was blocked by Chelsea while Aurelio De Laurentiis – the Napoli president – claimed Atleti triggered the release clause for Gonzalo Higuain before he went to Juventus. For various reasons, Simeone was denied his first-choice striking targets but in Kevin Gameiro he has got the next best thing.
The Frenchman knows the Spanish top flight well having played three seasons at Sevilla and should provide expert foil for compatriot Griezmann. He scored 16 league goals last season and will give Atleti a sharper edge. Simeone has spent too much time and money already on replacements for Costa – Mario Mandzukic and Jackson Martinez are among his more expensive failures – but the integration period for Gameiro should be of the quicker variety.
He has also added Nico Gaitan from Benfica. He now has the type of player he lost in Arda – a midfielder who can drive with the ball at his feet and create chances for the forwards. Gaitan is versatile, energetic and should give Atletico more options not only in terms of personnel but also shape. Atletico can be quite rigid in the backline and through midfield but Gaitan will give them the chance to go 4-3-3 by playing as a wide forward or else as the most-advanced midfield player. That would mean Koke dropping into his favoured midfield position in the centre.
Elsewhere Sime Vrsaljko will give good cover to both full back positions and will eventually be primed to take over from Juanfran at right back. For now though, La Liga’s best back five will remain intact.
Atletico conceded just 18 goals last season in 38 matches with Juanfran, Gimenez, Diego Godin and Filipe Luis providing reliability and consistency in front of Jan Oblak. Barcelona and Real simply cannot compete with Atleti when it comes to clean sheets and that could be the difference between no points and one as well as one point and three.
Simeone has built the club into an extension of himself and it is hard to know where they would turn if they were to lose him. May’s Champions League final defeat – his second to Real Madrid in three seasons – hurt a lot. The Argentine said the loss hit him “like a death” but after a period of mourning he is ready to face the challenge once more. His presence in the Atleti dugout is fundamental to their success. He sees Atleti as a long-term project – he is seeing year by year improvements and should be in place when they leave Vicente Calderon for their new stadium in time for next season. If a defeat such as the 5-3 penalty reverse to Real cannot persuade him to walk away then seemingly nothing will. He’s seeing this one through.
Barcelona have the triple-headed monster up front that is Messi, Suarez and Neymar but have lost their most consistent player in Dani Alves and have not yet replaced him. They are also losing their first-choice goalkeeper Claudio Bravo to Manchester City. There are enough gaps in the squad to beg the question of whether or not they have the consistency for another title.
Real, meanwhile, approach the season with Zinedine Zidane in the dugout but precious few new signings. Their squad last year – totally reliant on Cristiano Ronaldo – was not good enough for the title and has scarcely been improved. Zidane is a pet project of Florentino Perez who desperately wants him to be Real’s answer to Pep Guardiola. The fact is though that Zidane is totally unproven – despite his Champions League title – and must work hard to convince that he can find solutions during games to get points.
Atletico and Simeone simply will not be made to feel again like they did in May. Real Madrid might have a historic hex over their rivals in European competition but there is no sense of inferiority in the league. They are well capable of beating their cross-city rivals – and Barcelona- over 38 matches.
They have done it before and will do it again.
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