Sweet Relief For Simeone As Atlético Finally Win Amid Doubts About Evolution | Sid Lowe

Happiness was this once; now location is only alleviation but it is something. In fact, for a small while connected Saturday night, it feels for illustration everything. At nan extremity of each crippled erstwhile nan last whistle goes, truthful does Diego Simeone: sprinting down nan passageway and consecutive up nan stairs, not a connection to anyone and not outrun by anyone either, nary stopping and nary looking back. This time, though, is different. Juan Martínez Munuera brings Atlético Madrid’s 2-0 triumph complete Villarreal to a adjacent a small earlier 11pm, 63,312 fans erupting; a small after 11pm, astatine nan apical of nan steps nether nan guidelines wherever nan 4th charismatic awaits his colleagues and nan visitors trudge past tearing disconnected portion and turning right, there’s still nary Simeone.

Usually nan first through, not moreover slowing present erstwhile he’s safely retired of show of supporters and cameras, a fig successful a skinny achromatic suit dashing past a brace of information guards, down nan corridor to nan near and into an quiet dressing room, this clip Atlético’s head is extracurricular nether nan lights instead. He heads connected to nan pitch, embracing his players. He screams astatine Koke, his captain, crushing him pinch a cuddle. Pulls Antoine Griezmann adjacent and whispers thing successful his ear, only he has to outcry to beryllium heard complete nan noise. High fives his boy Giuliano, who is besides 1 of his wingers. And past joins nan remainder of them celebrating earlier nan southbound stand, communion complete.

“This was not conscionable different game,” he says later.

Maybe it should person been – it is only week 4 of his 15th season, nan 743rd crippled since he took complete pinch a 0-0 tie astatine Málaga 2 days aft Christmas 2011 – but Simeone is right. He had needed this, they each had. Three games in, Atlético had not won. Beaten connected nan opening weekend, they came into Saturday’s lucifer pinch only 2 points and spell into nan play 17th, having slipped 7 points down Real Madrid and 5 down Barcelona earlier August is over. It is nary quirk of a sadistic fixture database either: that’s next. They person played Espanyol, Elche and Alavés. Coming up are six games successful 17 days, including Liverpool and Real Madrid, starting pinch unbeaten Villarreal, who they person only defeated erstwhile successful 5 location games.

It is, 1 insubstantial says, a final. Which admittedly they opportunity conscionable astir each game, moreover literal quarter-finals, semi-finals and meaningless group games, but still. Lose and nan convention has gone, astir agree, and it’s not moreover really that; it’s thing deeper. There is, Simeone admits, an “anxiety” astir nan place, a tension, that goes beyond conscionable nan results moreover while yet it is each astir that – particularly for him. He has started to consciousness nan pressure, if started is nan word, weighed down complete a managerial spell that is 3 weeks distant from being nan longest successful Spain’s history, a unfortunate successful portion of nan translator he brought, a consciousness of having begun thing that mightiness person near him behind.

Diego Simeone celebrates pinch his Atlético players connected nan transportation alternatively of heading down nan passageway astatine nan last whistle arsenic he usually does. Photograph: Thomas Coex/AFP/Getty Images

A unfortunate of thing certainly, things not nan aforesaid arsenic they erstwhile were. “When I came I was happy,” Simeone told Cope power position successful an question and reply 5 days earlier Saturday’s game. “I was happy erstwhile we won. Today, winning is simply a relief, you understand? A relief. And I don’t for illustration that. But that’s nan work I have.” There was reflection but also, he added, a reality – and correct now that’s not what it is expected to be. Atlético spent €173m connected 8 players this summer. Only Real Madrid spent more. Add past season’s €188m outlay, and it’s much than €360m successful 2 summers. Over nan past 5 years, nan full is supra €500m. No 1 successful Spain has spent more. And while nan nett walk is different – Madrid lead location – that comes pinch demands, arsenic does being Spain’s best-paid coach.

“We person built a squad that enables america to dream,” nan club’s CEO, Miguel Ángel Gil, insists. Whether that is really existent is debatable: 8 came successful this summertime but 8 went retired too; Koke and Antoine Griezmann are 33 and 34 now, successful mentation getting phased out, almost intolerable to genuinely replace; and looking astatine nan arrivals, waiting to spot really bully Thiago Almada and Álex Baena tin be, it’s not truthful clear that nan starting XI is arsenic beardown arsenic it was past year, fto unsocial better. Madrid and Barcelona, meanwhile, are still Madrid and Barcelona.

And yet it is existent that nan aged underdog discourse, which Simeone says he has dropped now, nary longer stands up for illustration it did, that nan Robin Hood of shot point doesn’t hold. Simeone’s occurrence provided a level for nan maturation of nan club, securing 13 top-four finishes successful a statement astatine a nine that had only 2 of them successful nan erstwhile 16 years, but besides created a caller normal, higher aspirations. Demands are made, though immoderate would reason not forcefully enough. As nan coach puts it: “the squad was up of nan club, now nan nine is up of nan squad ”, and they must drawback up.

No 1 expects Atlético to triumph nan league, their 2 titles genuinely singular achievements, but they are expected to compete for it. It is 5 years since they won anything, a decade since nan Champions League final, longer since they lifted nan cup. Last play they won 15 convention games successful a row, went apical … and past fell apart. Some pointed to that penalty; plentifulness pointed to Simeone, insisting that if nan nine has moved on, nan coach has not. Nor is it conscionable astir results. There whitethorn beryllium nary club, Barcelona apart, wherever nan way they play occupies group arsenic overmuch arsenic it does astir Atlético. Every play it seems there’s talk astir really pinch these players, this investment, Atlético mightiness germinate only for them to germinate backmost again, aliases truthful it goes. A information statement connected style ensues, ebbing pinch results but ever location and partially based connected assumptions that don’t really clasp either, nan aforesaid aged cliches and conversations connected a loop, nan aforesaid arguments from nan aforesaid tribunes and nan aforesaid trenches.

Nico González runs disconnected to observe successful beforehand of nan crowd aft helping to springiness Atlético Madrid their first convention triumph of nan season. Photograph: Diego Souto/Getty Images

Simeone hears them all, of course. “What is ‘defensive’?” he asked this week; “we for illustration pizza,” arsenic an aged statement of his runs. This play those conversations came early and Simeone stepped into nan midst of it, nan truth that he gave an unexpected set-piece question and reply almost arsenic telling arsenic nan things he really said. “It’s a bully clip to talk,” he began. “You shouldn’t hide. You. Should. Not. Hide. Let maine make that clear.” What followed was a telephone to arms to nan group he says Atlético need, he needs, and to his players arsenic well. There was a statement astir not wanting eulogies erstwhile he is gone but support erstwhile he’s still there. “We’re alive,” he said.

He sewage it too. Villarreal’s sojourn was projected arsenic a benignant of plebiscite, and for each nan sound it was only ever going to person 1 result: connected nan time group up to observe nan supporters’ clubs, euphony and elephantine paellas extracurricular nan Metropolitano, they were connected his side. His sanction was chanted from nan commencement and arsenic he paraded nan touchline he was conductor again. On nan pitch, his squad responded too. Led by Koke and Griezmann – “I get affectional reasoning astir them; they are surviving history of Atlético Madrid,” Simeone said – they scored early, done Pablo Barrios. And though that was nary guarantee having led successful each 3 erstwhile games, and while Alberto Moleiro had 2 awesome chances to tie Villarreal level, this clip Atlético did unafraid nan win.

Nico González had arrived connected Monday, Atlético’s eighth signing yet done connected deadline day, flown to subordinate nan Argentinian nationalist squad connected Tuesday, not travel backmost until nan pursuing Thursday, and was presented connected Friday. Now, having trained conscionable twice, he scored nan 2nd here, everybody capable to respire again, nan tile blown off. “I knew it would beryllium good; but I didn’t expect it to beryllium this good,” he said. “I don’t cognize if it’s a weight off, but we needed 3 points,” Barrios admitted. “Stay calm, it’s conscionable nan start,” Koke said, which he could opportunity now. “This felt for illustration a referendum, but Simeone will slumber easy now; this triumph mightiness extremity immoderate of nan wildly exaggerated conclusions,” wrote erstwhile Atlético striker Kiko Narvaez. However absurd they are nary 1 is wholly impervious to it all, nan value shown astatine nan last whistle erstwhile Simeone headed disconnected successful a different guidance to normal, capable to fto spell nether nan lights and pinch his people.

“I knowledgeable nan aforesaid alleviation I person knowledgeable for a agelong time, borne of nan work we consciousness for nan nine and nan team,” Atlético Madrid’s head said. “I thought it was a bully clip to bask nan mini small model we get earlier tomorrow greeting astatine 10am erstwhile we’ll beryllium backmost reasoning astir Liverpool.”