Jorge Sampaoli set to become Atlético’s new manager | OneFootball

Jorge Sampaoli will be the new coach of Atlético. The Argentine arrives at Galo to replace Cuca, who was fired last week after the defeat in the classic against Cruzeiro by 2 x 0. According to journalist Germán Garcia Grova, the coach comes to fulfill a contract of 2 years and 3 months. The arrival of the new commander at alvinegro rekindles the hope of the fans for a competitive team with an offensive identity.

Sampaoli, 65 years old, had a remarkable stint at the Minas Gerais club between 2020 and 2021. In his debut, on March 14, 2020, he led the Atlético victory by 3 to 1 over Villa Nova, in a match valid for the Mineiro Championship. Di Santo, Savarino and Arana scored the goals for Galo. The coach quickly became a central piece in a major squad overhaul. During that period, the Argentine indicated 11 signings and oversaw the departure of 18 players.

The highlight of his first stint was the conquest of the 2020 Mineiro Championship, when Atlético overcame Tombense by 3 to 1 in the aggregate score of the final, winning the 45th state title in its history. In the Brazilian Championship of the same year, the team presented an offensive football and remained among the top five in almost the entire tournament. It finished in 3rd place, with the best home performance (80.7%), the second-best attack of the competition (64 goals) and the ninth least leaked defense. The title did not come by just one victory, as Flamengo, the champion of that year, finished the competition with 71 points, against 68 from Galo.

In total, Sampaoli led Atlético in 45 matches, totaling 26 wins, 9 draws and 10 losses, with a performance of 64.44%. His departure occurred in February 2021, after an official announcement made by the coach himself. The Argentine left the City of Galo for Marseille, France, where he took over Olympique de Marseille.

In addition to Olympique, Sampaoli also coached Rennes, also from France, Sevilla (ESP) and Flamengo after his departure from Galo. In Brazil, the coach also worked at Santos, in 2019, where he was runner-up in the Brazilian championship.

Now, four years later, he returns with the mission of rescuing the winning identity that marked his first stint. It is worth remembering that the base Atletico team, which won the Brasileirão, the Copa do Brasil and the 2021 Mineiro Championship, was assembled by the Argentine. The expectation of the board and the fans is that the coach's offensive style and intensity will return Galo to the forefront of national and continental competitions.

Before closing with Sampaoli, other names were ventilated at the Minas Gerais club. According to Lucas Tanaka, the list had Tite, the Portuguese Carlos Carvalhal and Sérgio Conceição, in addition to the Argentine Martín Anselmi, who was very close to being announced as Galo's coach.

This article was translated into English by Artificial Intelligence. You can read the original version in 🇧🇷 here.