Atletico Madrid manager Diego Simeone believes that if he were to manage in the Premier League, he would stand a good chance of winning it. It looks unlikely to happen any time soon, given Simeone just signed a three-year contract extension with Los Rojiblancos, but certainly it is an interesting hypothetical.
Simeone has often received criticism in the past for his style and defensive nature, but in recent years El Cholo’s side have opened up much more than in the past. He told Cadena SER that it was simply the most effective method for his players.
“I like to play well. All my life I have liked to play well. In Estudiantes de la Plata we played with Sosa, with Veron… In River with Ortega, Falcao, Buonanotte… Then we had other footballers and we adapted.”
He did admit that he liked to be defensively solid first and foremost, which is the opposite of the Premier League in his mind.
“If you ask me which one I identify with… I like to defend well. You watch English football and there are only 4-4, 6-3… But no one defends. I watch it and I think that no-one defends. And I think that if I can do it, and I can get closer to them in attack, I can become the champion. Barca became champion last year because of a solid defence.”
He explained the switch in style and strategy as a function of their current squad, although Simeone did note that during their previous title win, they were playing similarly.
“At River we played with 5-3-2 as well. What happens is that today the team requires us to play differently, it feels comfortable and it feels good this way. When you find a way of playing in which the players feel good, you have to stick with it. Before we played differently. I don’t like comparisons. The other was a very physically strong team, remember Gabi, Diego Rivas, Miranda, Godin, Costa, Juanfran, Felipe… that team was based on the counterattack, pressure. And then there are types of footballers who need another way of playing.”
Simeone’s intense manner of experiencing football means he is probably somewhat given to a more structured style, as is the case with Pep Guardiola, although they employ that sense of structure in different ways. Certainly in recent years La Liga’s bottom half has proven that they are difficult to break down, and can cause a shock for any of the big three. In spite of these comments, two of the managers he selected that he would like to take over Atletico Madrid from him are in the Premier League.
