From relegation to the Champions League, 100% philosophy of bandit coach Simeone: revealing the competition with Real Madrid and Barcelona

When you realize that people are no longer following you, it’s time to go. When he was eliminated in the 2022 Champions League, Diego Simeone's sentence was interpreted as a foreshadowing of leaving the team. But two years later, he is still standing on the sideline of the Metropolitan Stadium and roaring, and leads Atletico Madrid to basically secure a seat in the Champions League next season.

Faced with the unequal battlefield of La Liga, Simeone told the cruel truth on YouTube channel: "To be a champion, we must maintain 100% of the state in each game, but Barcelona and Real Madrid can only pay 50%. Because they have talented players who can change the situation instantly, and we can only rely on the team to burn all the energy."

1. The balance of imbalance, the truth behind the numbers

The gap between Atletico Madrid and the two La Liga champions is naked on the salary cap.

2024 La Liga winter window data: Real Madrid's salary cap is 727 million euros, Barcelona is 204 million euros, and although Atletico Madrid rose to 303 million euros, it is still less than half of Real Madrid.

The economic gap is directly transformed into the field error tolerance rate.

When Barcelona spent 120 million to introduce Griezmann and sold him at a low price, Atletico Madrid had to be careful - after reclaiming Griezmann, his performance of 25 goals in 32 games became Simeone's trump card.

"We look forward to the moment when Real Madrid and Barcelona are in a sluggish state," behind Simeone's candidness is the sobering perception of his 14-year coaching career. He led the team to win La Liga twice, and entered the top three 13 times, but he was always called the "challenger".

2. The bandit commander's way to break the deadlock

Faced with the crushing of resources, Simeone's way to break the deadlock is full of pragmatic wisdom.

The five substitution rules have become his new weapon: "The power of the bench brings us closer to the giants. 5 substitutions mean that 15 players actually participate in the game, and we can more flexibly adjust our physical strength." Atletico Madrid has staged a winning streak many times this season, which is the result of deep rotation - the classic battle of Griezmann assisting Depp to defeat Vallecano in the 90th minute is a proof of the change of the situation of the substitute players.

tactical innovation has never stopped. From his iron-blooded defense when he won the championship in 2014 to his attempt at the three-back ball control system, Simeone admitted: "Football has changed, and speed, rhythm, and player abilities are all evolving." Even when he played against Sevilla at home in 2023, he was still adjusting: let Morata play the left-wing defender to assist in defense, and use the "non-mainstream" to set up the lineup to defend the 1-0 victory.

3. Spiritual legacy, a deeper imprint than trophy

When Simeone's youngest son Giuliano made his debut in 2022 wearing Atletico's jersey, the inheritance of a football family surfaced.

"The father said that only efforts and sacrifices are not negotiable," said the eldest son Giovanni, revealing the family creed, "We must fight to the end whistle like the people of the Simeone family." The three sons are all forwards, but they inherited their father's midfield fighting spirit. In February 2020, the three brothers scored on the same day on behalf of different teams and wrote a story about football.

This spirit has been injected into the Atletico Madrid gene. "It is us who have given fans high requirements," Simeone said bluntly after locking in the Champions League qualification, "This is a welcome thing." From a "relegation team" to a stadium in La Liga for 14 consecutive years, the soaring expectations of fans is his medal for transforming the club.

After coaching Atletico Madrid for thirteen years, Simeone's greatest achievement was not the trophy in the trophy showroom, but forging "100% philosophy" into the soul of the club.

When the reporter asked if there was a team that could make him play for longer, his eyes were filled with raging eyes: "I stayed because I wanted more, and I knew this could be achieved." At the Metropolitan Stadium today, fans are used to singing together in the 60th minute of the game. This was once the relegation "life-resistance talisman" in the Calderon era, but now it has become the "life-resistance drum" that the wealthy families respect.

From the "Bedsheet Legion" to the "Iron Blooded Teacher", Simeone used 100% paranoia to break out a path of life in the polarization of the football world. There is also a saying: football can be without genius, but it cannot be without a wick that burns to the end.