Atletico – Frankfurt: Transformation under Simeone

30/09/2025 09:03:00 SportScoop

Collective football is prioritized, coupled with Diego Simeone’s strong shifts in mentality and strategy driving Atletico Madrid’s revival.

In the last derby, Atletico continued their traditional running and defensive style, but launched attacks with daring new strategies never seen before. This modern football system maximizes Julian Alvarez’s abilities.

A Different Atletico

During Diego Simeone’s era, Atletico has never shown such clear dominance over Real Madrid as in last weekend’s derby. Beyond the five goals scored against former keeper Thibaut Courtois, on the Metropolitano pitch was a united team, with added ambition, more precise passing under pressure, and less fear of the rival’s prestige and squad depth from the same city.

All of this combined to create Atletico’s best derby since Simeone took charge. There have been more emotionally charged and tactically rich wins, like the Copa del Rey final at Bernabeu, but none so overwhelmingly dominant against a Real Madrid that had won six straight games, confidently riding the wave of modern football under Xabi Alonso. It was the basic principles of this new system that swept away Xabi’s “Professor” squad: from pressing immediately after losing possession by midfielders and forwards, to quick transitions, and Koke’s calmness in intercepting passes to provide safety for teammates in every delivery—including the assist for Sorloth’s equalizer at 2-2. “He played wonderfully,” Simeone praised during the press conference without waiting for questions about the captain or Griezmann. His choice of Sorloth to exploit Madrid’s weakness in aerial duels was spot on.

To implement this fan-pleasing style, Simeone has demanded the board provide young legs and fresh stamina for several seasons. “El Cholo” experienced this evolution facing Ernesto Valverde’s Bilbao, where he often praised the youth’s fitness. Now, beyond contributions from Alex Baena, Koke, and partly Griezmann, Atletico has become a team with fewer tricks and occasional struggles managing leads. This remains Atleti’s biggest weakness this season. Except for the loss at Liverpool’s Anfield and the 2-0 win over Villarreal, seven other opponents have managed to equalize or take the lead at some point.

Espanyol staged a comeback (2-1), while Elche, Alaves, and Mallorca all drew 1-1. Rayo Vallecano and Real Madrid also led (2-1), but on both occasions, Atletico overcame intense pressure to secure wins after a disappointing season start, making this derby a pivotal match. Victories over Rayo and Madrid returned the team to the title race, now just six points behind the leaders.

Simeone is enjoying the new Atletico

Still Needs Improvement

Within the club and dressing room, there is consensus that the Liverpool match, despite the painful 2-3 loss, was a turning point. Equalizing 2-2 against a side that had destroyed them in the first 10 brilliant minutes was a boost for competitive belief. At Mallorca, despite playing with a man down after Sorloth’s red card, Gallagher scored the opener. Against Rayo and Madrid, the team learned to absorb defensive errors, which are punished more severely than ever in this modern football model. Passes from Isi (Rayo) and Arda Guler to Alvaro Garcia and Mbappe originated from similar zones—the gap between center-back and left-back, the same area Liverpool exploited. This is a weakness Simeone and his squad must fix. “We need to manage leads better because sometimes we concede goals that don’t reflect who we are,” Koke admitted on DAZN.

The anticipated explosion of Julian Alvarez as a global star, capable of finishing the team’s work with goals, is also key for Atletico’s takeoff. Five goals in two matches, four of them impressive with power, finesse, and accuracy using both feet. Alvarez recalls the leap Luis Suarez made to win La Liga in 2021. Back then, Simeone forced the team to play near the opponent’s goal to exploit the Uruguayan striker’s killer instinct despite his declining fitness. Last Saturday, when asked why he always emphasized “taking care” of Alvarez, Simeone replied: “He needs the tools to score. Strikers are only happy when they score.” Simeone implied his role is to support, while the club’s responsibility is to buy more satellites to prevent Alvarez from becoming disheartened and leaving.

Perhaps this very team also needs more moments hearing the Johan Cruyff-inspired phrase “go out and enjoy” that Simeone uttered before the match. The red-and-white fans are eagerly awaiting another dazzling performance against Frankfurt—the team that recently scored six goals against Gladbach.

Ngoc Linh

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