IT’S BEEN 40 long years since Atlético Madrid’s last European Cup final: the longest wait in the competition’s history.
Despite Los Colchoneros having won four European finals in the past four years, the club have never lifted the European Cup and tasted defeat in their only appearance, against Bayern Munich in 1974.
Given how Diego Simeone has led Atlético to just two victories from a possible eight against Real Madrid, and is likely to be without the influential Diego Costa, the task seems even more daunting.
Yet, in the biggest El Derbi madrileño of all-time, following Atlético’s La Liga title victory, the pressure will firmly be on Real Madrid in their quest to clinch La Décima. It was a similar scenario in the 2013 Copa del Rey final at the Santiago Bernabéu, when Atlético defeated José Mourinho’s Real Madrid for the first time in 14 agonising years.
That final was cited as the watershed moment for Simeone’s revolution; in reality, Simeone’s first trophy with Atlético, the 2012 Europa League, may have proved the most important.
Remarkably, two years on, 10 of those who started that night in Bucharest are readying themselves for a Champions League final. Álvaro Domínguez – who made 120 appearances for Los Colchoneros – spent six months under Diego Simeone when the Argentine took over from Gregorio Manzano in December 2011.
“Diego was a very, very strong character,” Domínguez told TheScore.ie. “He knew what he wanted from the first moment he arrived. The first steps Diego made at Atlético were in those first few training sessions. He introduced a greater intensity, with a lot of variety in training. Diego was not a trainer that wanted routine and repetition. Every day, we had new training drills. We were learning A-Z again and that helped us to improve a lot. Little by little, that made his bond with the team stronger and led to the success that followed.
“Diego’s young to be a coach, so that helped him be close to the players. When he came with his ideas, the players believed in what he was doing. Of course, when someone brings in new ideas, it always takes a few weeks or a couple of months. After three or four months, the team was playing quite well and we were fighting. That’s the strongest thing Atlético has under Simeone: they all fight in the same direction. We believed in how he wanted to play. We believed in everything he did, 100%. That established a close bond.
“With Manzano, he changed the starting line-up a lot because we were still competing in La Liga and the Europa League. He used a lot of different players, so that they would be fresh. Simeone, in contrast, had his own team and wanted the same players to play again and again. He didn’t like to change the defence, in particular, and you can still see today how he only ever really changes his forwards. The same defence always plays, and that’s what makes him strong.”
Such has been the impact of Simeone’s revolution, the Argentine has led Atlético from 10th in La Liga to an unprecedented golden era that has seen the club win five trophies in just two-and-a-half years.
Among Simeone’s inspiring achievements are Atlético’s first La Liga title in 18 years and the club’s first ever Champions League final – all, astonishingly, amid a backdrop of financial stability.
“I’ve not been surprised by his success because in the last four or five years, the club has been growing bit by bit. We’ve won many titles, both domestically and in Europe. This season has followed on from the good things the club were already doing. But, in the past few years, Atlético have been selling some very good players. Fernando Torres left in 2007, then Kun Agüero, Diego Forlán, and Falcao. However, when Falcao left, David Villa and Diego Costa came in so Atlético always have Plan B in mind. I think if they have to sell one player this summer because of economic reasons – like they’ve had to in recent years — they will be able to find a very good replacement.”
Before Simeone even contemplates the futures of the likes of Thibaut Courtois (loan) and Diego Costa, Atlético have the small matter of the Champions League final: the competition’s first ever city final.
Domínguez, a Madrid native who ironically spent two years at Real Madrid’s La Fábrica Academy, started five Madrid derbies for Atlético and is in no doubt that Saturday’s final will be the biggest.
“El Derbi madrileño is very big in Spain and, of course, huge in Madrid. Atlético and Real Madrid have had an intense rivalry for so many years and the Atlético fans and players wait the whole year for the game to come around. The players fight for their lives. But, Simeone always likes to prepare each game like a final. He doesn’t like to think about the game in two or three weeks time; he just focuses on the upcoming game and prepares 100% for it. That’s what makes him so successful.
“It’s a final, so it’s difficult to predict what will happen. I think Atlético will have a big say – having already beaten Madrid in the Bernabéu and drawn in the Calderón this season. It will be 50/50 but, as an Atlético fan, I want Atlético to win!”
