Mikel Arteta will discover Arsenal successful ugly requires one other stage towards Diego Simeone
If Mikel Arteta can overcome the master of football’s dark arts, Diego Simeone, and his Atletico Madrid side, it might just be his greatest achievement to date at Arsenal
Diego Simeone and Mikel Arteta will go head to head in the Champions League
One is a master of the dark arts. While the other prefers fine arts when it comes to preparing for football matches.
Welcome to Atletico Madrid versus Arsenal in the Champions League semi-finals – and the remarkable clash of cultures between Diego Simeone and Mikel Arteta. A European master versus a novice and apprentice.
To describe Simeone as “no-nonsense” would be quite the understatement. The pillar of his Atletico Madrid teams down the years has been the act of ‘s*** housing’. Doing whatever it takes, either by foul means or fair, to win. Atletico provide rivals with the ultimate test of pressure and provocation.
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Pretty it is not. But Simeone couldn’t care less. He dresses like some sort of hitman on the touchline – and has taken down some high profile victims in Europe.
Like Manchester United, Liverpool and Bayern Munich, when Pep Guardiola was in charge of the German giants and found himself almost coming to blows with Simeone on the sidelines.
Atletico dumped current La Liga leaders Barcelona out of the competition in the previous round this season. And if Simeone is no-nonsense, then Wednesday night’s rival in the semi final, first leg in Spain, might lend himself more to just nonsense.
Just imagine Simeone ordering his players to balance pens between their fingertips while passing a football around their feet and into a trash can?
Or introducing a dog to the training ground called ‘Win’ – then going on to win nothing? Arteta has also had his ‘Lightbulb Moment’, squeezed lemons to symbolise players can always give that little bit more, and planted an olive tree at the training ground, using it as a metaphor for roots and growth.
Up to now, none of these bizarre methods have bore fruit. So while Simeone has put the ‘mad’ into Madrid, some could argue Arteta has put the ‘arse’ into Arsenal.
But if Arteta can somehow get the better of Simeone and Atletico over two legs, it might just prove to be his greatest achievement to date.
When Simeone was appointed Atletico boss back in 2011, Arteta had only just joined Arsenal as a player. His managerial career hadn’t even begun.
And despite the overbearing presence of his more illustrious neighbours Real Madrid, not to mention Barca, Simeone has won eight major trophies, including two La Liga titles.
He has led Atletico to two Champions League finals. Arteta, meanwhile, has won just one trophy since becoming Arsenal manager six years ago, and has never led his team past the semi final stages of the Champions League.
The Spaniard has left no stone unturned in his quest for those marginal gains coaches like him seek. While Simeone has relied on more of a throwback and direct approach to achieve all his success.
Those who stand between him a glory do so at their peril. Because reputations mean nothing to the Argentine.
Arsenal might have cornered the market when it comes to winning ugly in England, but will have to find another level altogether in the Spanish capital. So good luck Mikel – you have been warned.
