MADRID — Atletico Madrid and Diego Simeone have regularly tasted the sting of disappointment, even in what is the club’s golden age.
They host Arsenal on Wednesday in the UEFA Champions League semi-finals chasing redemption after their crushing Copa del Rey final defeat little over a week ago, AFP reported.
Tens of thousands of Atletico fans travelled down to Seville only to go home empty-handed, just as they did in the 2014 and 2016 Champions League finals against bitter rivals Real Madrid.
Atletico has never won Europe’s premier competition, also beaten in their other final appearance in 1974.
They can take a first step towards a fourth final against Mikel Arteta’s side this week, in which they are celebrating the club’s 123rd anniversary.
In their first game back home after the Copa final disappointment, on Saturday against Athletic Bilbao, Atletico’s fans gave the team a cold reception.
“The fans don’t need messages (from me), what they need is to win,” noted Simeone, Atletico’s most decorated manager, in Seville.
However, by the end of the team’s 3-2 victory over Athletic, only their second in the last nine games across all competitions, the mood had lightened.
“We have to get up from that blow and give everything to get to the final,” key striker Julian Alvarez said on Monday.
The Arsenal tie offers a route to immediate atonement, and by Wednesday the atmosphere will be frenzied, intoxicating, as it was for the quarter-final elimination of Barcelona.
Atletico is no longer at the Vicente Calderon but the Metropolitano stadium is just as intense, louder still, with the increased capacity.
Opened in 2017, it obviously does not have the history of its predecessor – that will take time, and intense performances on nights like these, to build.
“Congratulations Atletico – if you beat Arsenal, then the (anniversary) celebration will be perfect,” wrote Madrid newspaper AS.
The Rojiblancos’ support is the loudest in Spain and Simeone called on them to give his team the edge against the Premier League leaders.
“Atletico has struggled to reach the Champions League semi-finals and finals,” explained the coach.
“We’ve built this success through hard work and the support of our fans.
“We need them now more than ever, and hopefully, we can give them what they want on the pitch.”
When the conditions are right, at the Metropolitano Atletico have proven they can dismantle any side.
They blitzed Barcelona 4-0 in the Copa del Rey semi-final first-leg, a lead which proved unassailable, and romped to a 5-2 derby victory over Real Madrid there earlier this season.
Those matches, along with many others, should have put to bed the myth that Simeone’s team play the same, dour, defensive football which was the bedrock of their success in the first half of his 14-year reign.
What is non-negotiable though, now, then and always for Simeone, is his team’s intensity, work-rate and competitiveness, and capacity to suffer when they need to against superior opponents.
“We’ve reached this point by competing the way we have – nothing has stopped us so far,” said Simeone.
“Coraje y corazon” – courage and heart – is the team’s motto and even when on the attack, Atletico look to cause damage with their power and speed.
The coach’s son, Giuliano Simeone, Marcos Llorente and Alexander Sorloth are dynamic, hard-hitting attackers, while even talented talisman Antoine Griezmann works his socks off.
“If you don’t run, you’re coming off tomorrow,” Simeone joked, while sitting next to Griezmann at a recent press conference.
Alvarez, who hit the woodwork twice in the 4-0 league phase defeat by Arsenal in October, said he is “100 per cent” fit, but they will miss injured energetic midfielder Pablo Barrios.
“Both teams have evolved a lot since then,” said Llorente.
Beating Athletic might be the morale boost the team needed to head into the Arsenal game with confidence and belief.
“It’s good to win again after a negative run,” said Atletico’s all-time top goalscorer Griezmann, leaving the club in the summer for MLS side Orlando City.
“It will be a very important match (against Arsenal), we have to be calm, relaxed, knowing that we can do it…
“I’m enjoying these last few games here. I hope I can gift something incredible to the fans.”
As Simeone observed, for all the sweat and grit his team have offered, the gift they need to give is silverware.
