Posted by Joseph Zucker

It took 12 seconds for Atlético Madrid to show what can be expected of the club under Simeone. That’s how long it took for Atleti to pick up its first foul of the match. They eventually racked up 26 fouls and five yellow cards.

It shouldn’t really come as too much of a shock to hear what kind of style Simeone wants to bring. A defensive midfielder himself, he wasn’t averse to getting stuck into a game, and he is going to expect the same of his players.

The good thing about Simeone is that he is a former Colchonero himself. He had two stints at the club, 1994-97 and 2003-05. Prior to receiving the job, he had made it clear that managing Atlético Madrid was a career aspiration of his. One major problem with the current squad seems Joséto be a lack of passion for the crest. Installing a former player as manager may help revive that passion.

Simeone is a kind of manager who will get in his players’ faces if need be. That can be a double-edged sword, though. It can really inspire players initially, especially if there’s some success right away. But over time, it can also be very grating. Gregorio Manzano had a much publicized clash with Jose Antonio Reyes and to some extent, it probably cost him the dressing room and his job. I’ve heard that the players and supporters at Racing Club were both happy to see Simeone go because he had begun to wear out his welcome, thanks in large part to his fiery style.

I am a bit torn over his hire. As I said, he’s made no bones about what he plans to do. In an interview with the club website, he said, “I want to win and I would be happy attacking once and scoring one goal.”

While the first part isn’t anything too surprising, the second half does sound a little too disheartening for any Atlético supporters who wish to watch football and be get some enjoyment by just the spectacle of the sport. This is essentially one of the big debates about the game. Is football meant to be entertaining to the supporter? That was one tenet of Kevin Keegan and his Newcastle side of the ‘90s. He said that supporters had worked all week and deserved to be entertained when they go to a football match. Of course, it also must be said that Newcastle never won the title, either.

The brutal truth is that Atlético can try and play the most beautiful football imaginable, but it won’t ever be good enough to be either of these Barcelona or Real Madrid sides. Many would argue that tactics are meaningless in those fixtures anyway, but it is also true that the tactics deployed by Simeone would most likely get Atleti much closer to victory than those used by Gregorio Manzano. You saw it when Levante played Madrid. They essentially kicked Madrid right out of the game, withstood any Real attack and hung on for a 1-0 victory. According to Soccernet, they only had 30% of possession, yet we only remember the scoreline. While the way Levante play isn’t a lot of fun to watch, it has kept them in or near 4th place all season long.

I prefer to see a free-flowing, fluid style of football. I’ve always been a fan of the Total Football of the ‘70s Ajax and Dutch national team squads. I understand that every club can’t play like Barcelona, but to read what Simeone’s plans are and to watch the Malaga match, I can’t help but be a little apprehensive at his appointment.

I will say, however, that I agree with Jonathan Wilson on one thing: When done right, defensive football can be fascinating to watch. Defensive football ceases to be enjoyable when it’s accompanied by diving, cheating and kicking. What worries me is that the defensive style of Simeone will begin to hover in the antagonistic direction. I think that regardless of results, sometimes playing a slow, defensive style can suck all the fun from winning altogether. Maybe I’m just too idealistic. And if Atlético were to qualify for the Champions League by winning every match 1-0, how they got there would probably become irrelevant.

Falcaometer (as of January 13th, 2012)



This week: 4

Simeone is definitely getting a bit of the new manager bump. Everyone involved with the club has said that there is a renewed sense of optimism among the players in training. It’s most likely only a matter of time before the wheels fall off, but if recent history’s any indicator, Simeone has a good 6-8 months ahead of him.