Diego Simeone’s team was consigned to a fifth consecutive season without a trophy following Arsenal’s Champions League elimination of Atletico Madrid, which unavoidably raised concerns about the Argentine coach’s future.
Simeone gave a surprising response when asked if he still had the strength to play after Tuesday’s loss in London.
Simeone stated, “Not now, definitely not now,” raising questions about his summertime plans.
Since taking over as the head coach of the Rojiblancos, Simeone has received fourteen and a half such questions.
They have typically shown up during times like this, excruciating knockouts that Atletico has endured time and time again. The two final losses to rivals Real Madrid in 2014 and 2016 were the most painful.
After the second of those, on penalties at the San Siro, Simeone nearly left, acknowledging that it would be hard to help the team recover from such a devastating setback.
These games took place during Atletico’s prime, in the early years of Simeone’s rule.
Despite winning La Liga in 2021, the seasons that have followed have mostly been disappointing, despite the challenge of contending with Real Madrid and Barcelona, Spain’s two biggest teams.
Following the 1-0 loss at the Emirates, which led to a 2-1 aggregate loss, Simeone declared, “We’ve grown enormously in every aspect, we’re a club recognized in Europe and the world.”
However, the supporters want to prevail. Reaching the semifinals is insufficient.
Atletico has been struggling with their identity while waiting for trophies since that title victory five years ago.
This season, Simeone, who is still regarded as an extremely conservative coach, has frequently noted that his Atletico team is more adept at attacking than defending.
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