Made in Argentina; Mastered in Madrid

Ashwin Ballal

Description

When Diego Simeone entered the gates of Atletico Madrid for the third time in his career, he was the club's 17th coach in 15 years. Once a key player with the Rojiblancos, he had helped them lift the title in 1995/96. That heady moment was now a distant memory, as the side had scarcely won any silverware in the last 15 years. A mid-table team at best, having faced relegation, the red side of Madrid had fallen from the top step of Spanish football, with their fans wondering when they might once more celebrate a long run of success at the foot of the Neptune Fountain - a centrepiece for Atleti celebrations. Made in Argentina, Mastered in Madrid: How Diego Simeone Awakened a Sleeping Giant explores the tactics of the charismatic 'El Cholo', who has turned heads with his side's gritty, dogged style of play and built a team that embodies its people and culture. Discover how Simeone has turned things around for Atletico Madrid and helped write a major chapter in the club's illustrious history.

Informations

• Publié par: Pitch Publishing Ltd
• Date de parution: 29 août 2022
• Nombre de lectures: 0
• EAN13: 9781801503181
• Langue: English
• Poids de l'ouvrage: 1 Mo

Extrait

First published by Pitch Publishing, 2022
Pitch Publishing
A2 Yeoman Gate
Yeoman Way
Durrington
BN13 3QZ
www.pitchpublishing.co.uk
Ashwin Ballal, 2022
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Any oversight will be rectified in future editions at the earliest opportunity by the publisher.
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Print ISBN 9781801501620
eBook ISBN 9781801503181
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Contents
Acknowledgements
Before We Get Started
1. Introduction
2. The Predecessor: Gregorio Manzano
3. Recruitment
4. Chaos Calling: Midfielders
5. Hidden in Plain Sight: Wingers
6. Shape Shifters: Full-Backs
7. Great Wall of Madrid: Centre-Backs
8. Two to Tango: Forwards
9. Silent Guardians: Goalkeepers
10. Conclusion
Appendix
Photos
Acknowledgements
MADE IN Argentina, Mastered in Madrid: How Diego Simeone Awakened a Sleeping Giant originated with an idea in December 2020, when Atl tico Madrid were top of the league after an excellent start to the 2020/21 season. Diego Simeone had recently done something thought to be impossible, changing his tactics and opting for a new formation altogether, but the shift seemed to work and Atl tico found themselves in a position that they were perhaps not supposed to be in. Indeed, with the likes of Real Madrid and Barcelona always being favourites for the title, Spain s La Liga had long been a two-horse race and, at most, the honour of best of the rest was at stake for the remaining 18 sides.
Yet, this was something that Atl tico had done before and, in ten full seasons, not only have they firmly established themselves as the best of the rest in Spain, but they have shown that they have what it takes to blow the race for top spot wide open, punching above their weight and winning the league twice while also making their presence felt in Europe s premier club competitions. It was not too long ago that Atl tico found themselves well off the dizzying heights that they are at now, but in his trademark counter-attacking style, Simeone has taken them forwards in the blink of an eye, propelling them to unprecedented success.
Despite coming under fire for his often conservative approach, he has shown the world that success can be achieved in many different ways, and not only has the charismatic manager inspired an entire club to achieve success but he has also been a primary source of inspiration for this book. If anything, he has shown the world that as long as you give it your all, you can achieve whatever you set out to do and that with consistent effort you might even surprise yourself with the results. So, thank you, Diego Simeone.
The next big thank you goes out to Pitch Publishing, for believing in my idea and giving me the platform to turn it into reality. As a child, reading was one of my favourite pastimes and, though my passion for writing would develop only later on, I had always wondered how cool it must be for someone to purchase a few pages containing words that you had written. Thanks to Paul and Jane Camillin for allowing me to experience this, and special thanks to Duncan Olner, of Olner Pro Sports Media, for giving my dream an identity with his wonderful cover design. I know that I had a lot of worries and concerns with this being my very first book, but thanks to all of them for putting up with me and ensuring that this turned out in the best way possible. It truly was a pleasure working with you.
To Sam Leveridge, for without his valuable feedback and insights this book would never have gotten past the first few drafts. His knowledge and affection for Atl tico Madrid and football in general knows no bounds and I will always be grateful for his contribution, shuffling between his media duties to read my work while covering a La Liga game somewhere. I certainly have not made your life easy, Sam, but I can never thank you enough for this massive favour. Hope you enjoyed working on this as much as I did.
Credit also to some of the other brilliant journalists, and outlets such as These Football Times , Into The Calderon and La Liga Lowdown , which have covered both Atl tico Madrid and Diego Simeone extensively, providing excellent reference points for some of my work. Euan McTear s Hijacking La Liga: How Atl tico Madrid Broke Barcelona and Real Madrid s Duopoly was one of the first books that I came across regarding the club, and its excellent narrative on the first title win under Simeone is well worth a read, as is Euan s other work on Spanish football. The same goes for The Guardian s Sid Lowe and FourFourTwo s Andy Mitten, both of whom have consistently displayed top-class journalism extending beyond the topics I have covered, and whose articles I have diligently followed long before the conception of this book. Special thanks to you all.
Big shout-out to Chris Darwen and Total Football Analysis for giving me the space to publish my first football-related article, effectively starting this journey when they took me in and gave me the support and development that I needed to grow. It was here that I first started paying greater attention to the intricacies of tactics and data in football, and without them I might never have wandered this deep into the sport. Chris especially has opened so many doors for me in the football industry and I would not be able to do the work I do today if not for his faith and trust. What started as a hobby has now sparked into a career, giving me the chance to work for clubs and clients across the globe and for all of this, I am truly grateful to you, Chris, and the rest of the Total Football Analysis community as well.
I would also like to thank the four Atl tico Madrid fans who very kindly allowed me to pepper them with questions, giving me valuable insights. Their passion for the colours of red and white is evident, and they truly are a fair reflection of the greater Atl tico faithful. In no particular order (and with their Twitter handles), they are Ayush (@parteyismo), Emmanuel Lavogez (@captainkoke), Carla Fern ndez (@cxrlxandone) and Amer Al-Hashimi (@HashimiATM), who also happens to run Atletico Universe (@atletiuniverse), a popular page for any and all content regarding the club. All of them are well worth a follow if you would like to stay in touch with Atl tico and learn more, and I really appreciate their contribution to this book.
This brings me to the most important people in my life, my family, to whom I owe everything. Rajini and Sudhindra, my mum and dad, have been constant pillars of support for me all through my life and without their effort and endless sacrifices I could never even imagine writing a single word of this book. Even when I doubted myself, they pushed me to take the leap of faith and gave me all the space I needed to focus on this book, and I only hope that I have made them proud. Not to forget my younger brother, Vinay, who keeps me company for every single game across all the sports that we watch together, and whose jokes and jibes never fail to make my day. I would also like to thank my grandparents, who have loved, supported and pampered me no end, and especially my Joe Thatha, with whom I have shared many books and stories and though he may not be here today to see this, I hope that he is smiling down at me from up above. To them, and all my other extended family and friends, thank you very much for all your love and support, and for making my life that much better.
Finally, I would like to thank you, dear reader, for picking up this book and supporting my work. For so long Atl tico Madrid and Diego Simeone have been unjustly cast in a negative light by the footballing world, and my main aim when I took on this project was to convey the true beauty of both club and coach to whoever was willing to listen. Thank you for lending me your ears. Just knowing that this book is in your hands makes all the countless hours of effort worth it, and I only hope that you enjoy reading this as much as I enjoyed writing it.
Ashwin Reuben Ballal
Before We Get Started
BEFORE WE dive in, just a quick note to explain the overall structure and introduce some illustrations and terms that you will come across in order to help you better navigate through the story.
This book actually starts about six months prior to Diego Simeone s arrival as a coach, looking into some of the problems, mainly tactical, that plagued Atl tico immediately before his appointment. This should give you some idea of the urgent issues that needed fixing and, considering the fact that Simeone joined Atl tico in the middle of the 2011/12 season, it would give you some insight into the tools that he had to work with since he would not be in a position to instantly make drastic changes.
Following this, we will look into the changes that he has been able to make later on relating to personnel, studying the recruitment pattern of Atl tico through Simeone s tenure in order to understand how they have managed to assemble a squad boasting top talents in spite of a budget that pales in comparison to some of their bigger rivals.
While also including anecdotes and story elements, this book is primarily a tactical walkthrough of Simeone s Atl tico, detailing the various patterns of play that are evident in his teams and highlighting key elements of his overall footballing philosoph