Cholismo ended a long time ago
Defeat in Porto sent Atlético crashing out of European competition altogether
People spoke of an end of an era. People spoke of disaster. People spoke of failure. People spoke of a need for change. People spoke of the end of Cholismo.
A 2-1 defeat to Porto sent Atlético Madrid crashing out of Europe completely. Their Champions League fate had been sealed by Yannick Carrasco’s 98th minute penalty miss against Bayer Leverkusen six days earlier, but this defeat meant it would be the Germans who would head to the Europa League by finishing third in Group B. Atleti became the first Spanish team since Real Sociedad in 2014 to finish bottom of their Champions League group.
Fingers were pointed. At the 126-million-euro striker who has only scored in one of his last 20 games. At the right-back who has gone from one catastrophe to another since he arrived in the summer. At the past-it midfielder/left-back who is a shadow of his former self. At the coach who carries the ultimate responsibility.
But none of this was anything new. 2021/22 was arguably the worst domestic season of his reign, for many of the same reasons and problems that are plaguing Atletico Madrid this season.
It comes after the high of 2020/21, when El Cholo won only his second LaLiga title. A season in which Simeone ditched his traditional 4-4-2, and where the signs of the struggles Atleti would face this season began to creep in.
The team started the campaign magnificently, but as results began to dry up, Simeone struggled to balance the egos and profiles of the players in his dressing room with a 5-3-2 system which he didn’t seem convinced by. It was a short-term solution which had struck gold, but it never seemed likely to be his long-term plan. As some of the pillars of that team crumbled, with Kieran Trippier returning to England and others, like Mario Hermoso and Marcos Llorente, returning to norm
Cholismo ended in 2019. Curiously, the beginning of the end came last time Atleti failed to qualify from their Champions League group.
That summer, Fernando Torres and, even more importantly, Gabi moved on. Not only was a captain lost, but two club talismen who represented the values and identity of the club, even beyond Diego Simeone himself.
A year later, Filipe Luis, Juanfran and Diego Godín were out the door. The spine of a squad which was unquestionably pro-Cholo had been dismantled. The organisers of the most structured of defences had gone only 12 months after their midfield protection moved on.
Another important exit was that of Rodri. The Manchester City midfielder was a quiet and understated presence who had plugged the gap left by Gabi effectively, allowing Koke freedom to roam but maintaining the balance and discipline in the same way that the team’s former captain had.
At the same time, Saúl’s form fell off a cliff. Diego Costa and Šime Vrsaljko were ravaged by injuries. Lucas Hernández and Antoine Griezmann both left, with the latter returning after a failed switch to Barcelona.
Of that Atleti team of the 2018 final in Lyon, only an injury-prone José María Giménez, an inconsistent Ángel Correa and a steadfast Koke have remained.
In place of those heroes, egos arrived. João Félix with all his off-field hysteria. Rodrigo de Paul with his many love interests. Thomas Lemar and his penchance for a night out. Sergio Reguilón with his adoration of Real Madrid.
Simeone has struggled to manage that dressing room. For all his huevos, it has not suited his style. He’s tried to balance their demands with his philosophy, too often compromising on his own beliefs. For the first team, we saw weaknesses in Diego Simeone. The eternal terrier who had no fear suddenly looked vulnerable and insecure.
Results are, as they have been for 18 months, inconsistent. In LaLiga, Atleti still sit third with one of the best away records in the division. Yet at home, the Estadio Cívitas Metropolitano seems toxic, with ultras already declaring a 45-minute absence and a refusal to sing against Espanyol on Sunday. And in Europe, complete failure.
This is disastrous for Atlético Madrid, there is no doubt about that. But this is not the end of Cholismo. This is the culmination of the consequences that follow the end of Cholismo, for Cholismo ended a long time ago.