It is hard to imagine Atletico Madrid without Diego Simeone.
Appointed in December 2011, the Argentine manager has done a magnificent job at Atletico. Taking over a team that had not finished higher than fourth for a decade and a half, Simeone transformed Atleti into two-time Spanish champions and two-time Champions League runners-up.
Simeone has also lifted the Europa League trophy twice during his tenure, as well as two UEFA Super Cups and one Copa del Rey.
Even in their worst campaigns under Simeone, Atletico have consistently finished in the top four and competed in the Champions League. Any manager able to disrupt the duopoly of Real Madrid and Barcelona knows what he is doing.
Yet questions are beginning to be asked about whether Simeone might have taken Atletico as far as he can.
The club invested heavily in the transfer market over the summer, splashing out €185m on new players. Only Chelsea, Brighton & Hove Albion and Manchester United spent more across Europe. That expenditure came with the intention of challenging for silverware at home and on the continent.
But Atletico have made a shaky start on both fronts. They may have only lost one game in La Liga – a 1-0 defeat by Real Betis last time out – but they have dropped 10 points in five draws. Currently fourth in the standings, they are already 10 points adrift of Barcelona at the summit of the standings.
Things are not going much better in the Champions League. Atletico only just scraped past RB Leipzig with a last-minute winner on matchday one, before Simeone’s side lost back-to-back games to Benfica and Lille.
Atletico’s manager is the highest-paid in Europe. It would be unrealistic to expect Simeone to keep up with Madrid and Barcelona year after year, but even some fans are starting to ask whether a change may be due sooner rather than later.
