They operate as a going concern, and are not a Sugga Daddy FC. Their player development and transfer model works well enough for them, so not much more IMHO needs to be said on it.
Absolutely, they are a very well-run club. I'm not disagreeing with that. I'm just saying that, previously, Atletico had very valid excuses of needing to be frugal and therefore they could not afford top quality attacking talent like Barca, Madrid etc could, as they were not an established Champions League side. So the defensive tactics of Simeone were understandable. At one stage, it was a miracle they were even challenging the Spanish duopoly. However, they are reaping the rewards of consecutive CL finishes for the last 7 years by spending huge money, moreso in the last 3 years. So the "we can't compete financially" mantra no longer has any meaning. Simeone has just spent almost £200m on a 19-year old and a PL flop. He will need to show something he's never done before in his managerial career - play exciting football whilst also getting results. He will be under pressure to do so. If Atletico's style of play does not transform into something a bit more stimulating, especially after how much he has spent this transfer window, huge questions will be asked of him.
Atleti have basically been a more successful version of us. They’ve been a well run club who’ve often signed up and coming players and then sold them for monstrous profits, however unlike us, Atleti have managed to win La Liga, a few domestic cups, the EL and reached two CL finals, all in the last 6 or 7 years. Hopefully we can start emulating their on field success now, we ourselves just reached the CL final and it’s now about pushing on and trying to win some trophies along with maintaining our CL status.
They cannot afford the frivolous depth of talent that the top 2 have long enjoyed, but then who really can outside Sugga Daddy FCs ?? "However, they are reaping the rewards of consecutive CL finishes for the last 7 years by spending huge money, moreso in the last 3 years. So the "we can't compete financially" mantra no longer has any meaning." It still does. We know here (well informed bunch that we are - ahem ) that although Atletico are La Liga #3, the financial gap to the top 2 is huge and biased (TV broadcast monies distribution is horrendously skewed - nothing like the PL) . It will take something special in-house, or a financial windfall, to completely usurp the top 2 on a consistent basis.
They are behind Barcelona and Real, but that is for a lot of clubs in world football. Atletico still have more money to spend than most of the European competition around them. The fact they are willing to spend £113m on a 19-year old with 20 goals in 43 games (a very good season but not spectacular) says to me they are willing to flex their financial muscles and are in a position to take risks like this when, previously, they would be less inclined. Anyway, my point isn't whether they should be usurping Barcelona and Real Madrid, my point is they should be looking to implement an attractive style of play whilst also getting the same (or better) results. Simeone cannot continue to play drab football if he's spending huge money.
Most modern managers have a fairly rigid style, regardless of which system or tactics they use in any given match. Simeone isn't going to suddenly turn into Guardiola because he's got some money to spend. He's a pragmatic, defence first coach and always will be.
Of course not, and I understand implementing an attacking style of play will take time (which is why I don't think he should have abandoned trying). However, from a fan's perspective, the more money you see invested in your team, particularly in attacking areas, you will want to see better quality attacking football. It remains to be seen whether Simeone is capable of gradually transitioning to that, but the evidence thus far is not promising. I can't see Atletico falling out of the Champions League spots anytime soon, so they will continue to get regular CL income and will be big spenders. Perhaps not as big as their Madrid rivals or Barcelona, but they can comfortably outspend all the other clubs. As seasons go by, and more money is invested, expectations will naturally shift. If he does not find a way of playing better football, I think the fans will eventually get on his back. No-one wants to see their team play defensive football for a long time. And this rings especially true when you've spent a lot of money on attacking players already, only for a large quantity of them to not succeed.
I agree that it's what fans want, but Atletico aren't going to turn against him if he doesn't change, as long as he keeps getting results. He's up against it in La Liga and staying in that fight is enough for them, for the foreseeable future. He'd also walk into another job elsewhere, if they were to let him go.
I don't know if the Atletico president and CEO would turn against him, but fans might. It will also be interesting to see how he'll do without the players he's relied on so much within the past 7 years. Juanfran & Felipe Luis left on free transfers, Godin joined Inter Milan on a bosman and Lucas Hernandez was sold to Bayern Munich. That's basically an entire back 4 that will be brand new come August. I'm sure they will probably be as defensively sound as they always are, but it is a risk experiencing so much change in one Summer, as both of us know about, and in an area that is so crucial to their identity. In any case, he's said before he would like to manage Inter Milan one day so, depending on how Conte does over there, he could potentially be moving to Italy in the next few years.
He's definitely got a lot of work to do and he's lost a number of very important players with more to come. I doubt the fans will turn against him unless they have an absolute nightmare, though. He's done a lot for the club and deserves patience.
Do you not think if they continue to spend vast amounts on attackers, and they look no better than before, fans will get agitated with that? Managers who spend more will always face more scrutiny. I know they have came a very long way from where they were before he took charge, but it also doesn't give him a carte blanche to do whatever he likes. They surely would not want stagnation. And, in worst case scenario, the last thing they would want is a situation we had with Wenger. He raised our profile as a club and took us to the next level, yet he stayed way too long based on past success. Simeone deserves patience, but within reason. Things can go stale if there's no form of progression on the pitch.
They're spending big on attackers, but it's a deceptive statistic. Felix is replacing Griezmann and Morata's still on loan, while it looks like Costa could be on the way out. They're likely to be in the black on transfer fees at the end of the summer. I think that they already are and their star player is about to go for £100m+.
The way that money is reinvested is important, though, and will be critically assessed. If you're selling players for big money, then the expectation is for that money to be reinvested on improving other areas of the team. I think the point I'm making is I haven't been convinced by Simeone in the transfer market and I don't know if I trust him to use that money wisely. A lot of signings he's made haven't been massive hits in the last few years.
And yet they finished 2nd last season, ahead of Real and comfortably qualified for the Champions League.
PNP, that was one of Madrid's worst seasons for a very long time. Atletico also finished 11 points behind Barcelona, who were also not great last season, and Valverde was under siege from most of the Barca fans and local media, who were calling for his head throughout the whole campaign. So Atletico were arguably the most stable of all their competitors. I don't want to keep labouring on this point, as it will look like I'm deliberately trying to find faults in Simeone when I know he is a very good manager and has done an incredible job at Atletico Madrid. I just think he has limitations and these limitations are why I would be reluctant to have a manager like him at Arsenal.
It was their worst since Simeone's first, but it was still a very respectable performance, given what they're up against. Barca fans may not have been impressed, but they ended up with 87 points and scored 138 goals in all competitions. By normal standards that's fairly ridiculous. They lost the cup final and blew a big lead against the Scouse, though. That's an emergency to them, so Griezmann and Neymar appear to be the result, but most teams can't match that.
Sorry, I should have been clearer. When I said Madrid, I was talking about Real Madrid, not Atletico . They were an absolute joke last season by their own standards and their spending this Summer shows they're not willing to have another like that. As I said, I don't think Atletico should expect to be competing with Real/Barca on or off the pitch, as they are too big and too far ahead. But I don't think it's unreasonable to expect a gradual shift in their style of play as they invest in their squad whilst getting good results. Managers like Simeone are becoming a dying breed. Adapt or die.
What on earth is going on at the Toon? In the space of 2 weeks they've gone from being sold to Sheikh Mansour's cousin and courting Maureen as manager, to the current state where Ashley is still in charge and is being rejected by the likes of Fat Sam and Steve Bruce
