COMMENT: The relationship between coach and club is what makes Atletico Madrid a contender, regardless of which players come and go

By Kris Voakes | International Football Correspondent

As Diego Costa celebrated with Koke, Thibaut Courtois embraced Arda Turdan, and Diego Godin shared a joyous moment with Gabi, Atletico Madrid fans must have thought they were dreaming. Their side had toppled two of the game’s greatest club sides to win La Liga, and a week later they would come within three minutes of becoming European champions.

None of the achievements of May 2014 would have been possible without Diego Simeone. As his players rejoiced on the Camp Nou pitch, they made a point of rushing to their Argentine coach. Rarely are clubs so indebted to one man, his contribution to their success of indefinable proportions.

So the new contract which Simeone signed on Tuesday, tying him to the Rojiblancos until 2020, is not only hugely deserved but is vitally important to Atletico’s hopes of emulating the achievements of last season.

While their form in 2014-15 so far has been nowhere near the level of 12 months ago and they have been left scrambling for a place in the Champions League, the loss of Simeone would have been far more punishing than the triple exit of Costa, Courtois and Filipe Luis to Chelsea last summer.

A period of transition was always likely to be necessary after losing a host of key players. As such their results this term have been completely understandable - instead of fighting Barca and Real for La Liga, they are battling Valencia for third. But they are still in the Champions League and head into their quarter-final against Real Madrid having won four and drawn two against their city rivals this season. There are countless reasons to believe that a return to the levels of 2013-14 might not be too far away.

But were they to lose their coach, the future would be far bleaker. Atletico are not one of the modern game’s giants and as such cannot hope to compete at the top end of the transfer market. They are also Spanish so, despite winning La Liga, that country's lopsided TV deal means Atletico received less than a third of Real and Barca's broadcast revenue.



Instead Simeone has been able to mould a squad in his vision. They are a team who battle from first minute to last, who respect no reputations, who never accept their supposed inferiority.

“We believe in Simeone,” said skipper Gabi after last season’s La Liga triumph. “For me, he is the best. He has helped us to win, and we are all here to win.”

A post-Simeone Atleti would not carry nearly the same trademark. The two go hand in hand, and are as identifiable as a partnership as they are separate entities. Simeone’s Atletico. Atletico’s Simeone. It is a no-brainer that the club’s board cannot envisage letting the Argentine leave any time soon.

For Simeone’s part, it must also have been an easy decision. At 44, he has plenty of time to explore other possibilities in the future. A bigger club might come along at some point, or perhaps the Argentina national team job will be offered.

But Simeone will back himself to remain in those shop windows for years to come, meaning there is no rush to end what has been a magnificent relationship so far.



“I am here because I’m convinced the club will continue to grow,” he announced on signing his new five-year deal, and with him at the helm there is no reason why the scenes of 10 months ago cannot be reproduced.

Simeone’s Atletico and Atletico’s Simeone remain as focused as ever on the same goal, and that is bad news for the rest of Spain.

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