Simeone’s frustration

Even the dramatic outcome, very strange, in an ‘impossible’ sequence between penalty and goalless rebounds with time against Bayer Leverkusen, underestimate failure Atletico Madrid in champions league, so close five years ago and so far now, between the decline confirmed by their numbers, 11 wins in their last 32 duels, and the endless labyrinth required for Diego Simeone.

“I have no doubt that the Champions It’s difficult for me. I was important, in the two finals we lost, one on penalties and the other in extra time. I don’t think we’re any closer to winning the Champions League final than penalties,” the Argentine coach assumed shortly after the elimination, referring to defeats against real Madrid in Lisbon in 2014, when he was close to the title, before the physical extension debacle, and when Milan in 2014, when he fell in the eleven-meter shootout by a narrow margin, by a single penalty.

Those two finals marked the history of Athleticof Simeon and the fans, in a permanent obsession to reach the title still impossible in its more than 119 years of existence, so close then and so far now, in the unparalleled journey between his first four participations in the tournament (the two mentioned finals in 2014 and 2016, including the 2016-17 semi-finals and 2014-15 quarter-finals) and the last six (two quarter-finals, two eighths and two group stage eliminations).

From one instance to another, since reaching its last semi-finals in 2016-17 (it has since failed to reach that round), when it was eliminated by real Madridthe winning curve has fallen from 58 to 36 percent in this tournament, while ties have grown (22 to 32 percent) and losses have nearly doubled (18 to 32 percent), since the 2017-18 academic year , last time left in the round of 16, like today.

Each group stage, since then, has been a struggle for Atlético, always relegated to second place in their quartet -when they always lead the first four-, on the verge of relegation, to play for qualification until the last moment, as happened in 2017-18, removed from Stamford Bridge with 1-1, but also in his continuation in 2019-20 (2-0 in Locomotive), in 2020-21 (0-2 against Salzburg) and in 2021-22 (1-3 against Porto), a year ago he qualified for the round of 16 with seven points for the five he has now.

The decay of Europe was further accentuated in the later courses. Since the bump in Turinwhen Cristiano Ronaldo and the Juventus they lifted him 2-0 from the first leg at the stadium Metropolitan to overwhelm him and get eliminated in the round of 16 Champions League in 2018-19, the Athletic He played 32 games in the Champions Leaguewhere he won just 11 (34 percent nothing more), tied nine and lost twelve, more than he won between the 2019-20, 2020-21, 2021-22 and 2022-23 editions and the same defeats he suffered. the previous tour suffered 62 commitments between 2013-14 and 2018-19.

SIX WINS IN THEIR LAST 23 ‘CHAMPIONS’ MATCHES

Beyond reaching the quarterfinals last season (he fell with City of Manchester for the ultra-defensive 1-0 defeat in the first leg at England and in the 0-0 of the return) or the eighth past two (deleted by Chelsea between exiles Bucharestby 0-1, and Stamford Bridge, 2-0), his balance of victories proves it all: in his 23 clashes between the three editions, including the current one, he won only six. He drew eight and lost 9. He scored 20 goals and conceded 29. And he only kept a clean sheet in five of those duels.

If everyone focuses on the two most recent campaigns, the previous one and this one, the ability to see the difficulties of Athletic in Champions League becomes clearer and completely eliminates that this is an accidental situation: in their last 15 games in the top competition of the continent, the rojiblanco team has won only four, with five draws and six defeats. And, at the same time, he won only one of his last eleven games in Champions League in Metropolitan. Another fact that leaves him without any reason.

The numbers show that, today, the Champions League surpasses the Athleticthat even in the course that became the champion of The league in 2020-21, leading almost the entire competition, managed to win only two matches of Championssame as Salzburgbetween some events and keys that transformed the rojiblanco team into an unreliable opponent, even scared, under expectations, with some exceptions, when the anthem of the contest sounded causing more loss of sleep for Simeone and the team itself from Madrid.

The present time has confirmed it. The penalty was not taken by Yannick Carrasco in the 99th minute against Bayer Leverkusen -or the goalless draw against witches in Metropolitanwithout his offensive succeeding – ended all that had happened before, as or more decisively than those markers, but, no doubt, more damaging, because of the strategy he proposed in Germany and in Belgium.

In his speculation on the parties is his condemnation of the following. Winner in a rush vs. Portowhen luck smiled on him for everything he did not do last night (he scored two goals in the last period, the decisive 2-1 in the final action of the duel by Antoine Griezmann), in Leverkusen and in witches He went out to take advantage of the rival’s mistake, to make sure that nothing happened, to play with fire, on the brink of the abyss, where he fell to two 2-0 defeats that relegated him to a limit situation: to win in the last three games, the one that tied the two.

“It was a cruel way. In the second half we did everything to win the game, but in the end the previous games punished us (the defeats with witches and the Leverkusen, in addition to the 0-0 with the Belgian team). We have never had the bit of luck needed. I was very disappointed. This is a very difficult result”, assumed Jan Oblakthe second captain of Atletico Madridwhose ancestors in the locker room are huge.