After eleven years at the helm of the club, Simeone is going through his most complicated period as Atletico coach
The wear of the equipment is evident and it will have to be reinvented to avoid a greater sinking
After the defeat at Do Dragao against Porto (2-1), the Atletico Madrid consumed his worst group stage under the orders of Simeone. Not only did they not qualify for the knockout stages of the Champions League, but they also did not do the minimum to opt for the third place that gives access to the Europa League. Atletico finished latest in one of the easiest groups he has had in the last decade.
is the Second time that Simeone falls in group stage. In the season 2017-18 the rojiblancos did not pass the first stage either, but the sensations were Quite different from the ones at the moment. Not only because the group was more complex (with Chelsea and Roma reaching the semi-finals), but because of the team’s attitude. Various factors have led to what can be considered the greatest failure of ‘Cholism’ in Europe.
Defeats in Belgium, Germany and Portugal
When the draw for the group stage was made, more than one person would have thought that Atlético would have no problem not only qualifying, but also winning the group. On the paper, the spanish team was better than its other three rivals. But of course, that presumed superiority is useless if a good job is not done on the pitch.
Atlético visited the BayArena and lost against Leverkusen (2-0). In their trip to Belgium, the colchoneros succumbed again, this time against Bruges (2-0). And on the last day, in Portugal, Atleti bit the dust again (2-1) to bid farewell to a dreadful group stage. Three away games, three defeats. They are not numbers to be among the 16 best in the continent and even less so if those setbacks occur against the third in the league in Portugal, the third in Belgium and a team in the relegation zone in Germany.
Second time in the Simeone era that Atlético fell in the group stage
| Jose Coelho (EFE)
The team also drowns in the Metropolitan
If to the three defeats away from home is added a poor local performance, choosing to qualify for the next round is impossible. It is true that Atleti remained undefeated in the Metropolitano, but if of those three games, only win one (and scoring the winning goal at 90+11), that stat is useless. The 0-0 against Bruges already left the team quite wounded and the 2-2 on the fifth date against Leverkusen – which also meant the elimination of the team from the European Cup – continued the trend of recent years: Atleti drown in your own stadium.
That Atlético have only won one game at home in this European Cup it’s nothing new. With the three games of this group stage, the team reached the 24 Champions League matches in the Metropolitan. Of all of them, Simeone’s men won only ten. Namely, the winning percentage as the home of Atlético is a poor 41.6%.
wet gunpowder in attack
In six games only four red-and-white players scored: Hermoso, Griezmann, De Paul and Carrasco, and only one goal each. As visitors, none of the team’s players did it (Atleti’s goal in Portugal was Marcano’s own goal). Not only the fact that five goals in six games They are not statistics of the team that competes in Europe, but of those only one was converted by a striker (Griezmann’s on the first day). That is, the other four forwards (Joao Felix, Morata, Correa and Cunha) finished the competition with a balance of zero goals scored.
brittle defense
If a few years ago scoring against Atlético de Madrid was practically impossible, now any team is capable of doing it, and on more than one occasion. For example, 37.5% of the goals that Cádiz has scored in the League have been against Atleti (all three of last weekend’s 3-2). In Europe the numbers don’t change much: only against Bruges in Madrid were Simeone’s men able to keep a clean sheet. The fragility of the team’s defensewhich already began to falter last season, prevent them from being able to compete at the highest European level.
Controversies in the locker room
If something has characterized Atlético del ‘Cholo’ over the last eleven years, it is the team bonding on and off the pitch. All the players shared the philosophy of the Argentine coach and that strength as a whole was noticeable in the games. However, this season certain controversies in the locker room have weakened that bond. The media tension between Simeone and Joao Felix, the most expensive player in red-and-white history, must not have helped the current moment of the team at all.