The highest-paid coach in world football is already under pressure after a disappointing start to the 2025-26 campaign
When Clement Lenglet came to face the press after Atletico Madrid had been cruelly knocked out of last season's Champions League on penalties by city rivals Real, the Frenchman admitted that the team-mates he'd just left behind in the dressing room at the Metropolitanto were still in a "state of shock".
However, despite the agonising nature of the last-16 elimination, Lenglet was defiant. Atleti had been the better side, winning 1-0 on the night to force a shootout that had effectively been decided by the ludicrous 'double-touch' rule that has since been changed, and he was quick to point out that Diego Simeone's side still had a Copa del Rey semi-final second leg against Barcelona to look forward to.
"We produced a massive performance from start to finish," the Frenchman told . "I think we deserved [to win] as a team, a club, for the fans and their support, which helped us a lot. But we will handle the blow to our morale in the days ahead. We have a lot of work left to do, we have important things to play for; the season doesn't end today."
In a way, though, it did. Atletico never really recovered from their desperately unfortunate Champions League elimination. And they still haven't, in fact.
Indeed, a club that once again spent big in the summer transfer window has made another slow start to their La Liga season, meaning questions are already being asked as to whether Atletico are really getting their money’s worth out of an expensively assembled squad and the world’s highest-paid coach…
AFPClub built in the coach's image
Atletico's decision to give Diego Simeone a history-making contract extension in November 2023 felt entirely logical at the time. The Argentine was – and still is – an icon at the Metropolitano, having lifted eight trophies with a club that was in total disarray when he took over in 2011.
Atleti winning the Spanish title in 2013-14 – while at the same time reaching the final of the Champions League – ranks as one of the great coaching achievements of the modern era, given the quality of the opposition. Since then, Simeone has only become even more synonymous with Atletico, so much so, in fact, that it's hard to think of another side that so perfectly personifies its coach.
At their very best, the Rojiblancos are utterly relentless, never giving anything less than 100 percent in their aggressive pursuit of success. As Antoine Griezmann said recently, it's not easy to play for Atletico because Simeone demands as much effort, pride and passion from his players as he does from himself.
AdvertisementGetty ImagesAlvarez's arrival
It was clear even at the time of the renewal, though, that Atletico had to spend even more money on the squad than they had on re-signing Simeone. The team was ageing and lacking a cutting edge. So, an initial €75 million (£65m/$87.5m) of the €188m (£163m/$220m) spent during the summer of 2024 went towards convincing Manchester City to part company with Argentine attacker Julian Alvarez.
It was a deal that raised eyebrows all across Europe, but the World Cup winner has proven excellent value for money, scoring 30 goals in 58 appearances in all competitions. The problem for Simeone, though, is that the arrival of Alvarez hasn't solved all of Atleti's problems.
Spain international Robin Le Normand has been a good addition to the defence, Norwegian striker Alexander Sorloth has played the role of super-sub well, while Conor Gallagher's versatility has come in useful on several occasions. Last season, though, Atletico turned out to be less than the sum of their parts.
AFP'We are close'
Things looked to have clicked midway through the season when they embarked upon a club-record, 14-game winning streak that saw them overhaul Barcelona at the top of the Liga standings. However, Atleti's form nosedived during the second half of the season and what little hope they had left of winning the title effectively ended on the night of March 16, when they blew a 2-0 lead at home to leaders Barca by conceding four times in the final 18 minutes of play.
When they lost at home again to the Catalans in the Copa del Rey on April 2, the Rojiblancos had nothing left to play for during the final six weeks of the season. The hope was that Atleti might restore some pride at the Club World Cup, but they were, as Simeone said, "doomed" to an embarrassing group-stage exit after being routed 4-0 by Paris Saint-Germain in their tournament-opener. Even then, though, he was looking on the bright side, arguing that Atleti's elimination had merely helped to illustrate the squad's shortcomings.
"We’re not in the same league as PSG and Botafogo," he claimed, rather bizarrely bringing the Brazilians into the argument, "but we got the same number of points as the Libertadores and Champions League winners and we're out.
"That's the beautiful thing about football: it tells you that we’re close, but we’re always just a little bit short. We are calm, though, because we are more than clear about what needs to be improved and this helps us to do so."
Getty Images'Needs to take another step'
Consequently, despite the desperately disappointing nature of the trophy-less 2024-25 campaign, Atletico were more than willing to back Simeone again during this summer's transfer window.
There may not have been a statement signing made to match that of Alvarez, but the Rojiblancos have still forked out another €190m (£165m/$220m) on new players, including Alex Baena, Thiago Almada, Johnny Cardoso, David Hancko and Giacomo Raspadori – meaning Simeone was in a very positive mindset ahead of Atleti's season opener at Espanyol on Sunday.
"I'm very happy," he told reporters last week. "I'm happy where I am. I still have the energy that the position I occupy requires. I know the consequences, good, regular, and bad, of where I am.
"The team has evolved enormously, and the team needs to evolve accordingly. In recent years, the team has grown more than the club; then, the club matched the team; then, the club grew more, but the team didn't. So, now, the team needs to take another step to match the club's current position."
Sunday, though, felt like a very significant step backwards.
