Atlético Madrid crisis: the Colchoneros are out of the cup, will it cost Simeone his job?

Last year, Atlético Madrid claimed the La Liga title, beating both Real Madrid and Barcelona, and they were considered a big favourite this year. But the Colchoneros are mired in a crisis and it is not at all certain that Diego Simeone can sustain it.

Only the unwanted Saul Ñíguez left last summer’s championship squad, while Simone welcomed Antoine Griezmann, Matheus Cunha and Rodrigo De Paula to the Wanda Metropolitano. Given Barcelona’s crisis and Real Madrid’s lack of strengthening, Atleti were considered the favourites to win the title.

But after six months, it’s safe to say that those predictions were very much false. Atlético’s performance has been dismal, as have their results. Simeon’s team has won only nine times in the league, drawn six times and lost five times. With 33 points, they are only fourth in the table, an abysmal 16 points behind first-placed Real Madrid. The title is now out of sight.

In the Champions League eighth round, the Indios will face Manchester United with Cristiano Ronaldo taking on Atlético. It will probably be the last chance for Atleti to win any trophy this season, as they missed out on two opportunities in the last week.

Firstly, they lost to Athletic Bilbao in the Spanish Super Cup at the weekend and thus didn’t have the chance to play for the trophy in the final. On Wednesday, Atlético played Real Sociedad in the Copa del Rey semi-finals, to whom they lost 0-2. It must be said that the Basques were the better team in the match, Madrid only had one shot on target, Januzaj and Sorloth scored for La Real.

And under Simeon, the chair is rocking. Back in the summer, it would have been hard for anyone to imagine that the coach who had pulled Atlético to the top and made them a competitive opponent could be fired.

But at the moment, it looks like the Argentine’s magic has worn off and he has nothing left to give the players. The typical combativeness and doggedness in matches so typical of the Colchoneros is not visible, yet this has been the main key to success throughout the Simeone era.

Source: Livesport