3 Considerations for Next Atletico Madrid Manager If Diego Simeone Leaves
Atletico Madrid are, depending on how you look at it, either unfortunate or fortunate enough to be one of the clubs who are most frequently spoken about with regard to their staff being on the move.
Whether because they have talented individuals on the pitch or impressive staff off it, everybody wants a piece of Atleti's success from the last few years and are prepared to spend big to buy it, copy it, secure it for themselves.
While players will inevitably come and go each transfer window, Los Rojiblancos have thus far kept hold of a key component of that success: manager Diego Simeone, continuously linked with other clubs, including Chelsea this week, albeit perhaps tenuously (OK Diario via the Independent). The Argentine remains in place but, just as with the possibility of a player sale, Atleti need to already be considering other managers to have contingencies in place for when Simeone does decide it's time to move on. For our options, we're sticking with three Spanish managers who could step up when called upon.
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Ernesto Valverde
The current Athletic Club manager, Ernesto Valverde has a history of working in La Liga, having been with the likes of Espanyol, Villarreal and, briefly, Valencia. Valverde has performed particularly well this time around with Athletic and has also had success abroad with Olympiacos.
Noted for his team's probable overachievement given the limited resources and talent pool to choose from, Athletic have consistently impressed in the second half of the season with Valverde at the helm and finished seventh last term and fourth the year before, leading to a brief foray into the Champions League. A place in the Copa del Rey final and winning the Spanish Supercopa earlier this season have also given Valverde a taste of success while highlighting his ability to get the best out of a squad.
Tactically, he is not hugely dissimilar to Diego Simeone; both like a battling squad, fighting for the ball at all times. Athletic play a variation on 4-4-2, usually with one powerful attacker just off the front man, though again it has to be noted that limited options to select players may impact on this.
Valverde has already been spoken about as a potential successor to Vicente del Bosque at the national team, so either way, this could end up being his last season with Athletic.
Marcelino Garcia Toral
More commonly known simply as Marcelino, the Spaniard is currently the boss of Villarreal and is one of the best around at team building and getting his side to push for progression.
After a modest playing career, he has worked his way up the managerial chain with Segunda and Tercera sides, including Recreativo, Sporting and Real Zaragoza, before brief stints with Racing Santander and Sevilla. Despite not faring well with the latter, Villarreal made their move for Marcelino in 2013, and it has been an upward trajectory since then.
Like Simeone, Marcelino plays a 4-4-2 with his side, pairing two true forwards together to combine in attack and create scoring chances for themselves and the wide midfielders, who play narrow and as progressive, creative options in the final third. It's more possession-based and build-up oriented than Atletico usually opt for, and it's less aggressive at winning back the ball, but the similarities are there. It's perhaps also worth noting that while Atleti have the best defensive record in La Liga, joint-second are Barcelona and Villarreal.
The Yellow Submarine are within touching distance of the Champions League for next season, but without investment, it's tough to imagine they can go much higher than they have over the last two seasons—a top-four tilt and two cup runs last term, ultimately all doomed to failure, and actually managing fourth this season.
Beyond that, Marcelino can step up and push for further success elsewhere, but he isn't a guarantee, of course, having never managed such a high-profile team nor taken over a club where expectations and success already exist.
Rafa Benitez
The final choice is a little left-field, but Rafa Benitez was treated so incredibly harshly by Real Madrid this season that he perhaps feels he has something else to give back to La Liga—and where better to do so than at Real's rivals?
Of course, Benitez is a Real fan from his boyhood and early career but as a professional, it's unlikely to matter too much to him if the opportunity to win titles is there. Benitez is every bit as demanding of his players in a work rate and a tactical sense as Simeone has been while also perhaps being a little more flexible in his game set-up. Where the big difference between them lies, of course, is that Simeone is an emotional, protective man who will berate his players himself—but woe betide anybody else who tries to do so.
The training ground and his players are almost family, whereas Benitez has encountered rumours of discontent and poor relationships with players at most of his clubs.
If the players are on board with winning, though, there's little to worry about—Benitez's record speaks for itself; the FA Cup, Champions League, Europa League and La Liga itself more than once. He could continue the success Atleti have laid foundations and high walls around, but the building might take a rather different shape than it has done so far.
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