- World’s highest-paid coach could be coming to the end of his time in Madrid
- Atletico’s anti-football likely to come unstuck once more against vibrant, attacking Liverpool team
- Simeone is loved by his players but his style now seems out of date
According to a recent article by L’Equipe, Diego Simeone is the third highest-paid footballer in the world.
That isn’t a typo. Diego Simeone makes more money per month than any other player in the world apart from the two recognized gods of world football: Lionel Messi and Cristiano Ronaldo.
Liverpool coach Jurgen Klopp takes home more than 2 million euros less per month than Simeone’s 3.6 million euro gross salary.
The Numbers Don’t Add Up
Liverpool are Champions of Europe and will soon be crowned Premier League champions. It’s quite likely they could retain their Champions League title this season too.
Jurgen Klopp is a rich man, but how is it possible that Diego Simeone is making over 2 million more per month than the best coach in the world?
Simeone’s pay is almost double that of the next best-paid coach, Pep Guardiola.
Anti-Football Pays
It is several years ago now since Diego Simeone’s teams played the kind of exciting, full-throttle football that almost saw them win the Champions League.
His team has lost its biggest leaders, Gabi and Godin, but this was because of a self-imposed policy that refuses to allow players over 30 to be offered more than a 1-year contract.
Simeone is the highest-paid coach in the world, but the core players in his team are sacrificed because they are over 30?
Without the leadership and desire to win of these players, Simeone lost his on-field generals. The result is a 2.0 version of his best teams.
One that can only contain and stifle rather than rip teams apart on the counter in the way Klopp’s Liverpool do so often.
Liverpool Nurture. Simeone Suffocates.
Simeone’s players love him. Kieran Trippier recently stated that he believes his new coach is the best in the world.
But Trippier is a defender. What would Joao Felix have to say on the matter?
At Liverpool, the reigning Golden Boy would be nurtured and utilized to the full under Klopp.
Under Simeone, the attacking flair of one of the world’s best youngsters has been reined in for the functionality of the team and the player is suffering because of it.
Liverpool to Usher In a Reality Check
Liverpool beating Atletico in this Champions League tie will probably end Simeone’s time in Madrid.
His team has underperformed all season and it would appear this cycle has come to an end.
It would be fitting for this reality check to come at the hands of Liverpool. The team who won last year’s competition in Atletico’s own stadium.
Klopp and Liverpool represent the very best of what football is in the modern era.
Simeone’s Atletico Madrid is a massively overpriced version that has long past its sell-by date.
This article was edited by Samburaj Das.
