How good a manager is Diego Simeone?

owlo

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I ask this mostly on a general 'good to know that' basis, but obviously against the backdrop that he's not talked about at all for our management position despite seemingly having a good CV without spending the most.

I've not watched La Liga THAT much, so interesting to know from those who do: How good do you feel he is? Is he elite like Pep/Klopp, or slightly lower, or lower still?

Is his football outdated, or simply less 'fashionable?' How do you see him competing in future? Did he simply get lucky with the likes of Godin, or does he produce such players through his management?
 

adexkola

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He's an excellent manager. 2 La Ligas, multiple ELs, made it to 2 CL finals, a few cups...

He's not progressive but they all can't be. Enjoy the energy and fervor he brings to the sidelines.
 

KeanoMagicHat

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People are increasingly treating football like a zero sum game where the manager that wins that season is the greatest manager ever and the one that has a bad season is ‘outdated’ or ‘past it’.

Simeone has more than proved he’s a great manager over a long time with Atletico. A negative way of playing but one of the best modern coaches at implementing that style.

The reason he’s not talked about United is that he’s the best paid manager in the world. We’re not paying out that contract and he’d have to take a large pay cut.
 

Korwas

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He is great at creating a team and instilling a strong mentality and defense, but is utterly horrific at offense. There have been way too many games where they have created nothing against far worse teams. Maybe he needs new assistant coaches?
 

Niemans

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He's a great coach but tremendously defensive.
Normally goes out to speculate the first half and usually give many 0-0, in the second half he starts to risk more, if his team scores a goal he park the bus.
I have several friends from Atletico who only watch the important matches because they get bored.
 

Kazi

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I read somewhere that his salary is double the second highest paid manager
 

Tarrou

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the best in the world at the art of shit-housery now that Jose's on the decline
 

Fox_Chrys

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He's a great coach but tremendously defensive.
Normally goes out to speculate the first half and usually give many 0-0, in the second half he starts to risk more, if his team scores a goal he park the bus.
I have several friends from Atletico who only watch the important matches because they get bored.
Isn't that all of Spanish clubs, half fans just turn up for the big games?
 

iKnowNothing

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Something has gone wrong this season in the CL for him. Purely based on the results in CL, he is a long way off Pep/Klopp/Zidane.
 

InfiniteBoredom

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His team always always play the most boring football you will see. Truly abysmal
Baffling thing is during his first couple of years there they were actually pretty good if they bothered to attack. As time went by, he just decided to lean more and more into the shithousetery.
 

Himannv

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I like progressive defensive coaches and I've studied his tactics for a while. I really like the deeper pressing setup and the organized low block that he employs that clogs up space centrally. I think his team was at its best when he had peak Costa up front because he was perfect for their aggressive central counters. With the change of guard up front, I think they are not as explosive on the counter as they once were. Having said all that, he is about the worst fit that you could imagine for United because his style of play is completely out of sync with what we like to see here (and in any other club that likes to see their team play attractive attacking football).
 

Nickelodeon

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Every time I have seen his Atletico team play, which is a sample set of many matches in the UCL and a handful in the La Liga, it seems that his team doesn't know how to play on the front foot. I understand that he has massively overachieved, but is there no section of Atletico fans who want a better style of play. Because over the past few years, the financial gap has relatively reduced between the top 3 so they don't have to rely on shithousery as the only means of winning.

Would stress that I'm a very infrequent watcher of Atletico, so please correct me if I got anything wrong.
 

Demas

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He is definitely a great manager. He wouldn't have won multiple La Liga titles in the presence of Madrid and Barca otherwise. Granted, he seems to have spent a good amount of money, but it's still a great achievement to beat Barca and Madrid to the title more than once.
Unfortunately, most managers eventually go stale if they stay at a job for a long time and I think that's what has happened to him. He needs a change of environment to re-invent himself.
 
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Lay

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Great manager who despite winning the league last season, probably needs a new project
 

Bepi

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The new rules favouring free-flowing football and the omnipresent VAR have smothered his dark arts tactics. Same as Allegri, it is also probable that the younger players do not feel any more the urgency, the mentality, the dedication that their tiring football require, that’s why we are seeing ups and downs. Yet, Simeone is the best defensive coach out there, he would make a wonderful NT coach for South American teams like Uruguay and Argentna.
 

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He's the biggest clown in world football and created the most unlikeable, least fun to watch top side in history.

He's probably a great manager though.
 

RedDribble

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A great coach that had some great results, but due to his way of playing a game a top team will never get him.
 

Real Name

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A great coach that had some great results, but due to his way of playing a game a top team will never get him.
Lucky for him cause he's already managing a top team.

One of the best in the world but hasnt exactly changed the way his teams play which could be his undoing.
 

RedDribble

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Lucky for him cause he's already managing a top team.

One of the best in the world but hasnt exactly changed the way his teams play which could be his undoing.
eeeh,, yeah AT madrid is a top team I get that, but it's not like a team with large pride and history.

Real Madrid, Barcelona, Manchester United, Liverpool, Juventus, Both Milan, Bayern, Ajax(?)
are the ones that fit that category.
 

RedDribble

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What do you mean by that? Atletico doesn't have large pride and history?
I mean of course they are a great club, but Arsenal is also, Spurs too, Dortmund is, ext.
But the clubs I mention have a different status. Anyone who goes from AT madrid to those teams will consider it as a step up.
 

Niemans

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Isn't that all of Spanish clubs, half fans just turn up for the big games?
Here people watch all the matches of their team, either going to the stadium or on TV
 

Real Name

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I mean of course they are a great club, but Arsenal is also, Spurs too, Dortmund is, ext.
But the clubs I mention have a different status. Anyone who goes from AT madrid to those teams will consider it as a step up.
I see what you mean. Yeah, strange one. We'll see but he'll probably just stay there.
 

Iker Quesadillas

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He's very good, but with limitations. Outside of last season's Liga win, their trophy haul has been pretty barren for a while, with their only major title since 2014 being an EL (which they crashed into). They had a bit of a freak 2020 but it looks like things are going back to normal.
 

AjaxCunian

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The strange thing is, at times, even against good opponents, they play some lovely football. Some of their performances against Liverpool recent years, we would dream to give Liverpool that much competition.

Players like Felix, Griezmann, Suarez, Correa, de Paul, Llorente, Lemar, Trippier are actually good attacking players. But he just refuses to play more expansive.
 

Pep's Suit

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Terrible football and 4/5 of their transfers fail. But he'll never leave his comfort zone and as long as Atleti finish in Top3 they'll keep him.
 

FootballHQ

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Overall very good. Wouldn't want to watch the style of football he plays every week though.

Felt for a while his time at Atletico is coming to an end but he keeps signing contract extensions so he's there until he decides his cycle is over.

Don't ever see him managing in the prem, will be Serie A or perhaps Argentina NT as possible his style could win them a world cup, perhaps 2030 if Argentina pretty much host that.
 

FootballHQ

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What do you mean by that? Atletico doesn't have large pride and history?
They do have a good history....but so did Man. City before 2008. And someone like Leeds in the modern game. And Villa.

He's like Wenger at Arsenal, took over historically big club struggling a bit and through his own sheer mindness built them into regular top 4 and trophy competing club exactly in his own image.

And probably like Wenger those methods are slowly wearing off now given their CL results are getting worse season on season.

That's the crux for Atletico though, he leaves them and they will probably start missing out on top 4 so will lose income and have to sell more players.
 

Real Name

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They do have a good history....but so did Man. City before 2008. And someone like Leeds in the modern game. And Villa.

He's like Wenger at Arsenal, took over historically big club struggling a bit and through his own sheer mindness built them into regular top 4 and trophy competing club exactly in his own image.

And probably like Wenger those methods are slowly wearing off now given their CL results are getting worse season on season.

That's the crux for Atletico though, he leaves them and they will probably start missing out on top 4 so will lose income and have to sell more players.
Third most leagues won in Spain, behind Madrid and Barcelona of course so the comparison with Leeds and especially City isnt the best. Arsenal comparison is a lot more apt.
As for the other things you're right but nobody cant predict what will happen when he leaves, surely there will be a fall but how big nobody knows.
 

GDaly95

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The best at what he does.

I think leaving Atleti would be a big risk for him though and maybe not one worth taking
 

Niemans

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Here in Spain both Atletico fans and the press say he has a net 20-25M salary per year.
So it's normal that he doesn't want to leave.
 

Abraxas

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People say he's not progressive, but he quite clearly is. Every man and his dog plays pressing, high line football now. There's nothing unique or interesting about pursuing that trend.

He's taken a style of football that is not commonly seen at the top level and adapted it so it can work. He gets players to buy in as well which is not easy as players often have an inflated opinion of themselves and see themselves playing adventurous football.

Crap to watch but he's still a trailblazer in my eyes.