Analysis: Diego Simeone not dead yet – Atletico Madrid remain as manic as the man in black | OneFootball

Written by Harry Gillies

Everyone thought it would be easy for Atletico Madrid, but that easy? There was an unusual demeanour about Julian Alvarez as he jogged the ball over the line for the third goal in the fifteenth minute. The Argentine superstar stole a glancing, almost sympathetic look back at Spurs keeper, Antonin Kinsky, as if to check he was okay after another calamitous error. That was the end of Kinsky’s night, as Atleti would finally dish out a 5-2 hammering of the North London side.

It was an Atleti victory over an English team with familiar tropes: the obligatory, coolly dispatched Marcos Llorente goal, a relentless Diego Simeone – rousing the home fans from the touchline with every wild wave of his arms – Antoine Griezmann being simply brilliant.

Atleti’s season has ignited in recent weeks. The usual talk about El Cholo’s future persists, but the man in black has pulled it off again, driving his team into the thick of the fight as the season reaches its crunch point.

When Atleti scraped by Barca to reach the Copa del Rey final last week, Simeone told the press: “We’re Atletico, we’re destined to suffer.” The first leg was a stark demonstration of how Atleti are one of the most potent attacking sides in Europe, as they smashed the Catalans 4-0. But this inevitable suffering swung round on them, with Barca almost staging another historic Remontada, only to fall short with a 3-0 victory. The miracle comeback is half-expected in Barcelona, their take on footballing magical realism, and Spurs too have a history of great fightbacks. Simeone will know it’s not over, and will expect to achieve glory once again the Atleti way – through struggle.

El Cholo arrived during Christmas time in 2011, bearing gifts far more substantial and long-lasting than any Atleti fan could have wished for from the three kings. Over the next decade, Simeone and his band smashed the status quo to pieces, bringing a title and trophies back to the old Vicente Calderon. But a tag stuck to them. Most of the world saw Atleti’s success as a product of tenacious, defensive work. They were agitators, and certainly riled many along the way, none more so than English pundits when Atletico knocked their beloved, grand clubs out of Europe – as they look to have done so again.

Undeniably, there has always been a battle-hardened feel to Atleti. A team with “mucha garra” – a lot of grit – as they would say in El Cholo’s homeland of Argentina. The squad blends the best Spanish academy players, like club legend and captain Koke, with a generous helping of tough footballers from the Rio de la Plata region of South America. For years, Atleti had the most severe fitness trainer – Oscar ‘El Profe’ Ortega. The Uruguayan coach was elderly and affable, but also a fanatical sergeant major. Players would dread the gruelling pre-season at Los Angeles de San Rafael, where El Profe forced them to run the golf courses in the baking sun. Fernando Torres once slumped in his seat, exhausted, pointing to Ortega: “There is the culprit, this is hell!”

Since the 2021 league title win, Simeone’s men have gone trophy-less. Chatter became more intense that the Argentine’s tenure could finally come to an end. El Cholo is far too wise. Some might be tired of his old face, but he brushes it all aside and puts his club back in another final.

There was a strange beauty to Atleti’s survival-mode performance against Barca. How do you stop the creative genius Lamine Yamal? You triple up on him, resolutely defend his crossing, and pray it’s enough. Unlike the first leg Atleti players did not hunt; whether by design or otherwise, they shielded themselves  in packs, like wolves protecting their young – such is the devotion to the cause that he inspires. The manic man dressed in black incessantly jolts and paces up and down the touchline, as if he’s on the verge of slide tackling Yamal himself, or playing a one-two with his son Giuliano.

Simeone was once blamed for not getting the best out of Joao Felix, accused stifling promising attacking players. The reality is that strikers flourish under Simeone – ask Falcao or Diego Costa. When things didn’t work out for Antoine Griezmann at Barca, he raced back to Atleti. The Frenchman is now pushing 500 appearances for the club. Before he inevitably jets off to the Floridian sunshine, Griezmann will dream of helping Atleti lift their first Copa del Rey in 13 years.

The newly crowned prince of the Atleti striker dynasty is of course Alvarez. At the start of the season, now B-team coach Torres called him best player in the world.

The striker is nicknamed La Arana (the spider) in his homeland, but as 2026 began, his venom dried up. Alvarez had gone two months without a goal before the first leg against Barcelona, but Simeone backed him to the hilt. In the semi-final, the spider found his bite again, scoring the final goal in the 4-0 rout. His second goal against Spurs was a perfect example of all his qualities, showing his marker a clean pair of heels and intelligence of movement, before drilling home a precise finish.

Links to Barcelona and Premier League clubs won’t go away. Simeone may lose both a club legend and the current star player this summer. Atleti will still hope to rely on top goalscorer Alexander Sorloth. The Norwegian has six goals in his last five games, including the opener in a 3-2 victory over Real Sociedad, which Los Colchoneros will pray was a dress rehearsal for the Copa del Rey final.

Simeone is part of a select few managerial giants, one Atleti will never be able to replace. The Argentine started a football revolution in Spain all those years ago, and it is still very much alive.