People forget now but before the rise of Guardiola’s lengedary barcelona’s teams of 2009 and 2011, there was Ancelotti’s Milan team at the start of the millenium. That team was stacked with legendary players all around the team, legendary attacking players like Rui Costa,Kaka,Shevchenko,Inzaghi,Pirlo,Seedorf etc. The Lazio team that wrecked havoc in the early 2000’s also had legendary attacking players like Crespo (in his prime), Veron, Nedved etc.

However those teams (including Lippi’s Juventus,Capello’s Roma team, Benitez’s Valencia) all had sturdy defences. They were as attacking as they come but did not neglect or dismissed the idea of a sturdy,air-tight defence. Hence while these teams won and trophies and competed and were considered legitimate title contenders for a long period of time.

As a fan of Bayer Leverkusen, i have gone past the stage of getting angry at Peter Bosz and his ultra attacking philosophy which is a microcosm for these new age managers. They do not see the need to have four at the back, some do not see the need to have three at the back and Thiago Motta does not even see the need to have the goalkeeper stay at the goal post even after playing just two central defenders and no full back or wing-backs. Thomas Tuchel,Peter Bosz,Oscar Garcia,Daniel Farke,Julian Nagelsman and Thiago Motta will not win the Champions league anytime or any major honours anytime soon. To prove my point Tottenham,Liverpool have a higher chance to win the champions league than PSG this year all because Tuchel is too stubborn to admit that his defensive organization or lack of has cost him in the past is costing him his chance at champions league immortality and will continue to hunt him until he changes. Nagelsman will not win the league beacuse of his defensive naivety, Oscar Garcia have already failed in the premier league, Motta can not win anything even if he gets a job at a major club and Peter Bosz, well this article exist for a reason. They all obsess over keeping a high line (that is easily beaten by one long punt of the ball upfield or a side rule pass) and it will continue to be their downfall. This is because they cannot marry good defence with an attacking offensive style. They do not see the need for defence but almost always get knocked out because they neglected to organize their defense.

People forget now but the main reason why Ole Gunnar Solkjaer was able to go on an 11 game winning streak was because he was able to marry a good defensive scheme (a deep-lying defence) with a good attacking scheme. It has been proven that if you can marry a good defence with a strong attacking game in this era you are guaranteed trophies. I give you exhibit A; 2018 Liverpool team that had the best defence in Europe and the best attack. They won the champions and lost the league due to naivety and mental lapses. Exhibit B; that legendary chelsea team of 2004-2006. They had the best defender the premier league have ever seen till date (Ricardo Carvalho) and the best attacking players the premier league had to offer. The result? ooh just back to back league title, league,FA cup and community shield titles here and there, nothing superb about it at all.

Before you bring the excuse of Guardiola’s success, he even admitted to owing a lot of his Barcelona’s success to the brilliance of Messi and co. Until these modern day coaches marry a strong defensive game with their attacking philosophy, they will continue to miss out on major team honours.

As an avid basketball fan, i can honestly say that the worst place to be in sport is in the middle. You are too good to have a bad season but you are still a level below the top echelons to be considered a contender for a title/cup/trophy.

Diego ‘El Cholo’ Simeone seem to be in the position described above. He seem to have hit a wall so to speak. He is too good to fall out of the top four but not good enough to be considered a serious contender for the champions league or even the La liga championship. This all down to his tactics and his unwillingness to change. Yes he won the league, europa league, copa del rey and got to the final of the champions league twice because of his 4-4-2 formation, it’s about time he realize that it doesn’t work anymore.

Don’t get me wrong, Marcelinho Garcia (former coach of valencia and villareal) proved that the 4-4-2 is well and alive but the difference between Marcelinho and Simeone is that Marcelinho switches it up sometimes by playing 4-2-2-2 or at the very least doesn’t make it obvious that the game plan is to just cross the ball into box.

They say ‘change is the only constant in life’ well here is another, ‘Simeone’s team is going to take the ball to the wing and cross the ball into the box every single chance they get’. He is not interested in intricate play, not interested in opening teams up or dominating the other team. He is going to use sheer will and force to overwhelm you. Even mourinho realized during his chelsea tenure that it doesn’t work that way anymore. This is the main reason why atletico always struggle against teams that sit deep and invite them do be creative in breaking them down (teams like alaves, leganes, mallorca, granada).

It seems harsh considering all what he means to the club and the level of success he brought with him but the smart and sensible thing to do is to move on from Simeone. He has taken the club to the highest peak he possibly can. Bring in a coach that is defensively sound and offensively smart. A coach that can change his game plan when the opponent changes to a formation he is unfamiliar with. A coach that his offensive movement can not be easily predicted, can play a variety of formations. A coach that is a cross between the defensive solidarity of marcelinho and the offensive dexterity of quique setien. Yes i know, where can you find a coach like that but i believe Pablo Machin or Marcelinho himself would be a perfect fit for the job.

Remember when Southampton sacked Nigel Adtkins and hired Mauricio Pochettino or when Golden State Warriors sacked Mark Jackson and hired Steve Kerr?. Yes it is very easy to go from being bad to being good but it very difficult to go from being good to being excellent. And here in lies the dilemma the top brass at Atletico seem to have. Sack Simeone and get pummeled with insult and criticism from both the fans and the media. Retain him long term (as they did recently) and be satisfied with contending but never with a shot of actually getting to Mount Rushmore of European football.

This is an example post, originally published as part of Blogging University. Enroll in one of our ten programs, and start your blog right.

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