Defeat in UCL playoff may signal the end of Simeone’s tenure at Atlético
The previous occasion Diego Simeone managed an Atlético Madrid team in the Champions League, he was on the verge of securing a prized top-eight finish that would have granted his club a lucrative €18.2 million bonus and spared them from two unwanted and perilous additional knockout matches.
Now, three weeks later, as the Argentine coach prepares to lead Atleti against Club Brugge on Wednesday in the first leg of their playoff for a spot in the round of 16, it can be argued that the future of the most successful coach in the history of Los Rojiblancos is genuinely at risk.
The reason is clear: Atleti’s performance in 2026 has been subpar.
Proof? They have managed only two victories out of six in LaLiga, with the last three matches resulting in no goals scored—two of those against teams fighting relegation. Currently, Atleti finds themselves 15 points behind the leaders, Real Madrid.
– Stream every LaLiga match LIVE on ESPN+ (U.S.)
– Ogden: Real Madrid broke Mourinho. Now his Benfica could break them
– ESPN roundtable: Three ways the Champions League format could be fixed
In the Champions League, that coveted top-eight finish was within reach, promising the aforementioned €18.2 million bonus and the avoidance of treacherous knockout matches—but Atleti faltered, securing just one point from six and ending up with their noses pressed against the window labeled “Elite.”
To make matters worse, they suffered one of their most humiliating European defeats, losing 2-1 to Bodø/Glimt in Madrid.
If they had triumphed over the inexperienced Norwegians with a 4-0 scoreline, Atleti would have secured a top-eight finish and pushed Pep Guardiola’s Manchester City out of the elite ranks. This would have provided a significant boost; invaluable for the club’s finances and offered essential relief for fatigued players. However, despite taking a 1-0 lead, Atleti crumbled against Bodø/Glimt—defeated by a club from a city with a population of 48,000 in their first Champions League campaign.
In contrast, Simeone’s squad achieved impressive victories of 5-0 and 4-0 against Real Betis and Barcelona, respectively, in the Copa del Rey. These results captured attention and temporarily commanded respect. Yet, Atleti, lacking consistency in their competitive mentality, followed up their thrashing of Betis in Seville with a 1-0 home loss to the same team just three days later in the corresponding LaLiga match.
And that impressive dismantling of Hansi Flick’s Spanish champions in the Copa semifinal first leg? It was swiftly followed by a dismal performance against third-bottom Rayo Vallecano (15 places and 23 points below Simeone’s team), resulting in a 3-0 defeat—marking their worst loss to Rayo since 1981.
It is telling that the most critical remarks regarding such inconsistent performances, which would make any team, not just Atleti, appear poorly coached and ineffectively led, come from their own goalkeeper. Jan Oblak, evidently still shocked and frustrated by the quality of his teammates’ display against the previously struggling Rayo (who were in the relegation zone before the match), did not hold back on Spanish television on Sunday afternoon.
“After this, it looks like we’ve thrown away any chances of winning the league,” he stated. “You can’t lose matches in this manner.
“You can’t deliver that kind of performance. If we continue like this, it will be challenging for us to be competitive.
“You can’t selectively choose matches in which to perform. You need to give your best effort consistently, and we haven’t done that here. Congratulations to Rayo—they were far superior to us—we deserved to lose.”
Note the phrase “will be extremely difficult for us to be competitive.” Oblak was alluding to the upcoming challenges in the Champions League and Copa del Rey semifinal second leg. These are rather bleak words from a player who is set to appear in his 102nd Champions League match on Wednesday.
Compounding the situation, his coach, Simeone, quickly countered that the big Slovenian was mistaken: “I disagree with what Oblak said. The team doesn’t choose matches; we played poorly, and when the opponent performs better and is superior, they defeat you.”
Well, that’s reassuring, Diego! It’s just that your team plays poorly and the opponents are better. No issues there. What a bold statement.
Somehow, Simeone continues to evade accountability with such banal comments. It’s a remarkable act of mass hypnosis to suggest that the only issue is poor performance and being outplayed by the opponent, thereby diverting attention elsewhere. Those are the very indicators that, at any other club, would lead to dismissal.
To provide context, especially considering that Atleti is still active in two knockout competitions, let’s examine where Simeone’s team stands now compared to the last decade in LaLiga. Only twice in the past ten years have Atleti performed worse statistically than they are at present.
Those instances occurred after Matchday 24 in 2020 and Matchday 24 in 2022—the first coinciding with the onset of the COVID-19 pandemic, and the second when Simeone later confessed that he began to feel his time was coming to an end.
A few months after that 2022 low point, the Argentine was asked by Diario AS: “In those weeks before the last World Cup, did you sense that the cycle was concluding?”
Simeone replied: “Without a doubt, it was the worst period of all my years at the club. I’m not foolish. I recognized, just like you, that the team was underperforming, lacking identity, commitment, effort, and that its passing was not inspiring confidence.”
Much like the current situation, in fact. Reliable sources indicate that, at that time, the Atleti directors were preparing to say: “Thanks for the memories!” and “Adiós!” to Simeone until his team revitalized itself, improved its performance, and began climbing the table.
Fast-forward to today, and Simeone remains a hot topic among Atleti’s ownership, media, and fans.
He is the longest-serving coach of a Spanish club in history, but—following a flurry of trophies upon his arrival, when the team was thriving with energy, standards were elevated, and Simeone successfully molded his defense into a formidable unit—the club’s tradition of winning silverware has been replaced by a focus on financial stability.
No trophies in the last five years, just one in the last eight—yet, for instance, €85 million filled the coffers from the revamped Champions League revenue stream last season when Atleti reached the last 16.
It was after that otherwise disappointing season concluded that Simeone acknowledged to Spanish radio in June 2025: “One or two friends advised me that this was the right time to leave Atlético.”
Why? There is a significant shift occurring at the club. Atlético Madrid is undergoing a substantial ownership change, thanks to a share acquisition by the US investment firm Apollo Sports Capital—and their financial involvement will likely be based on actuarial assessments regarding the future, not on Simeone’s once-illustrious past.
Simeone now faces a new, skeptical boss in Mateu Alemany, who is widely believed to be evaluating the candidacy of both Villarreal’s Marcelino and Atleti legend Fernando Torres, who currently manages their B-team.
What remains unchanged, what never alters, is that the club relies on Champions League advancement and the substantial financial boost it brings.
Perhaps this season will yield a trophy for Simeone; someone who often finds a way to escape difficult situations.
Conversely, should Simeone’s team “perform poorly” and be “outplayed by their opponent” in Bruges this week, it will be regarded far more seriously than the unpleasant but all-too-familiar defeats to Bodø/Glimt, Betis, and Rayo in recent weeks.
Simeone’s reputation and position are at stake.
