AT Madrid
loses in the quarterfinals of the Spanish Cup On the 26th (local time), AT Madrid faced rivals Real Madrid in the quarterfinals of the Spanish Cup and lost 3-1. Alvaro Morata scored the opening goal in the 19th minute of the first half, but it was not enough. The Madrid derby away goal that broke out in 5 years also faded. In the 34th minute of the second half, Rodrygo’s fantastic breakthrough allowed the score to be equalized, and in overtime, the balance collapsed greatly after Stefan Savic’s accumulated warnings. By the time Vinicius scored in extra time in the second half of extra time, the players’ will had already subsided.
This game was a mess that revealed the weakness of coach Diego Simeone again. AT Madrid, who led the game even after Morata’s opening goal, replaced attacker Morata in the 18th minute of the second half and replaced defensive midfielder Bichel. It was a substitution that made the team step back defensively. Correspondingly, Real Madrid replaced Valverde and Kroos and replaced Rodrygo and Asensio to sharpen their attack. AT Madrid could not withstand the wave of attacks and missed the ticket to the semifinals right in front of their eyes. As a result, criticism continued that Simeone’s ‘scare’ ruined the game. The point was that he switched to defense too early, even though it was a game that could have been played well enough. There was controversy over the referee’s decision after the game, but the decisive defeat was a passive tactical change.
This is the part where director Simeone has been criticized. The pattern of starting the game defensively and easily conceding the first goal, or leading the game but switching to defense too early and conceding an equalizer has continued for several seasons. As a result, Simeone’s position, which seemed perfect, began to crack. Jan Oblak said in an interview, “We have to go aggressive from the start of the game,” and it is likely that Felix’s loan to Chelsea was also due to a disagreement with manager Simeone.
Simeone, who joined AT Madrid during the 2011-12 season, put the team in the ranks of the best clubs in the world based on his solid defense. In Spain’s La Liga, it broke the two-final system between Real Madrid and FC Barcelona, and in the UEFA Champions League, it actively used the away goal system to dominate the knockout tournament. At the same time, the next step was naturally demanded from Simeone. As the size of the club grew, the name value of the players it recruited also increased, and Joao Felix, who was the most popular prospect at the time, chose AT Madrid as his next club. Fans wanted to see Simeone’s ‘winning football’, not ‘losing football’, but showing the team’s abilities.
On This, Simeone brought the 20-21 season league championship cup through the change to three bags. All positive variables such as Marcos Llorente’s great performance and Luis Suarez’s award as the top scorer were all successful. However, even at the end of the 20-21 season, the simplicity of the attack pattern and lack of detailed tactics caught the team’s ankle, and caused the ranking competition to continue until the final game of the season. Suarez’s skills fell and the main scorer disappeared, and Kieran Trippier moved to Newcastle and had to use Llorente as a fullback.
In particular, the atmosphere of this season is the worst. Atletico Madrid have already been completely eliminated from the Champions League group stage, finishing 4th in Group B. They missed out on qualifying for the Europa League. Also in the league, they lost 5 out of 18 matches and are only in 4th place with 31 points. It is not easy to advance to the UCL as the points are the same as 5th place Villarreal. In addition, it was also eliminated from the Spanish Cup, which had been seen for a long time to advance to the top tournaments. 토토사이트
Then, the possibility of a farewell between AT Madrid and coach Simeone seems to be increasing. “We’ll see what’s best for us,” Simeone said in an interview after the Spanish Cup exit. So far, the context has been reversed from the strong talk of staying at Madrid. In addition, there are reports that a manager replacement will be made if the team fails to advance to the UCL next season. It is also a consideration that the team’s top prospect, Felix, may decide to transfer depending on whether Simeone stays.
Luis Enrique, who led the Spanish national team at the 2022 World Cup in Qatar, is considered as Simeone’s successor. Enrique has hinted at a return to club football following his resignation from the Spanish national team. However, it is not easy to appoint Enrique when Simeone remains until next season. This is because other clubs are also said to be offering Enrique the job as manager.
Simeone is the best manager in Atletico Madrid history. He is supported by many local fans even when his grades are not good. However, as Ferguson and Wenger left, times change. Manchester United and Arsenal are gearing up for their next prime with Ton Hag and Arteta respectively. Can a beautiful farewell with Simeone come true?