The site of arguably Atletico Madrid’s greatest ever triumph, the Camp Nou in Barcelona will always hold a certain sentimental nostalgia for Diego Simeone.
It was at the venerable footballing cathedral where his side completed an astonishing title charge nearly three years ago, winning the La Liga crown for the first time in 18 years. On Tuesday, though, it was where the Argentine manager was faced with his own sporting mortality at the Spanish club.
2016-17 certainly won’t go down as a vintage season for Atletico Madrid. Trailing rivals Real Madrid at the top of La Liga by seven points (and two games in-hand) in fourth place and now out of the Copa del Rey following a 3-2 aggregate defeat to Barcelona, the capital side have toiled over the past few weeks and months.
Even if they manage to go all the way in the UEFA Champions League, Atletico Madrid appears to be at something of a juncture. Simeone took the unprecedented step of shortening his contract at the club earlier this campaign, lopping two years off his deal. That in itself suggests the Argentine is looking to move on sooner rather than later, but rather than being a critical blow to Atleti it might be a necessary progression.
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Under Simeone this season, Atletico Madrid have lost their identity. While they were once regarded the best defensive unit in the European game, now they are vulnerable at the back. Once lethal from set pieces, they have only scored twice from corners and free kicks so far this season. And the resolve that used to see them score more late winners than any other team in La Liga also seems to have been eroded.
It matters not how virtuously Simeone waves his arms on the touchline, the inherent link between manager and team has fragmented. Atletico Madrid were once a direct reflection of the Argentine as a character, and vice versa. That no longer appears to be the case.
Of course, everything at Atletico Madrid right now is seen through the prism of the move to their new stadium this summer (assuming construction work finishes on time). It is believed the club are desperate for Simeone to be in charge when the first game is played at the Wanda Metropolitano, but the man himself might have different ideas about that.
Despite crashing out of the Copa del Ray on Tuesday, Simeone suggested post-match that the performance against Barcelona showed he had got his Atletico back.
“We are out of the competition but have our heads held high and the strength that we have three fantastic months [ahead],” he said. “Hopefully we can maintain what we showed against them in the second-half the other day and during the 90 minutes today.
“Last year after we lost here with nine men, I went away saying that I felt something good could come of it and this time I feel exactly the same. When you lose in this manner, something special remains with the team, above all with such important competitions such as the fight we have in La Liga and the Champions League to come.”
If he were to be candidly honest with himself, though, Simeone would surely admit something needs to change at Atletico Madrid. It’s not as if the club is crumbling around the Argentine, but the empire he built over the past six years is in need of restoration. That is a terrifying thought for Atleti, who owe so much of their recent history to Simeone.
Not so long ago Borussia Dortmund had a similarly iconic figure as their manager in Jurgen Klopp. They have shown that it is possible to survive and thrive following the parting of ways with such a character.
Atletico Madrid have to face up to the inevitable, no matter how daunting it may be. They might actually be better off without Simeone. And Simeone might be better off without them.
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