Like with Sir Alex Ferguson at Manchester United, sometimes it can feel as though Diego Simeone will stay at Atletico Madrid forever.
The Argentine coach exudes such a larger-than-life personality and has achieved so much during his time in charge, he can appear to be bigger than the club itself. And that’s especially the case when you also consider his enormous triumphs as an Atletico player, which saw him captain a league and cup double-winning side in 1996.
But the reality is that his time at the helm will come to an end – and that end probably isn’t very long away, because the days of managers staying at the same clubs for decades are a thing of the past.
Just look at the world’s other major clubs: Manchester City and United, Chelsea, Liverpool, Real Madrid, Bayern Munich, Borussia Dortmund, Paris Saint-Germain, AC and Internazionale have all changed the identity of their coaches in the last 12 months or so.
Barcelona and Juventus bosses Luis Enrique and Massimiliano Allegri are starting to look like old hands after being appointed as long ago as 2014, and the only remaining example of a manager who has been in charge of a top club for several years is Arsene Wenger at Arsenal – and that, depending on who you speak to, is hardly a ringing endorsement for longevity.
There are many reasons why mammoth stints by the likes of Ferguson, Bill Shankly and Guy Roux (who was in charge at Auxerre for a mind-boggling 44 years) no longer happen. Most importantly, there is the relentless pressure, which has undoubtedly stepped up in intensity since the advent of rolling sports news television channels and non-stop social media scrutiny, making the prospect of a ‘day off’ seem like fantasy.
Simeone just confirmed in the presser that he has agreed with the club to reduce his contract at Atleti from 2020 to 2018.
— Sergi Domínguez (@FutbolSergi) September 16, 2016
The nature of the job has also changed, with the advent of video analysis meaning that managers have to undertake more work in preparation for each game.
Sir Matt Busby never had the luxury – or burden – of watching countless hours of footage of his team’s next opponents, but now that is a minimum requirement for all managers…when their phone finally stops buzzing from the latest haranguing by another testing modern invention, agents.
And, of course, the football world – like the rest of the world – has become increasingly short-termist, with every defeat treated like a major calamity as directors, media and supporters all demand instant gratification on a twice-weekly basis.
All these factors conspire to make managerial longevity almost impossible, and Simeone’s tenure at Atletico, which is now fast approaching five years, already looks like an aberration.
This week’s news, then, that Simeone has taken the hugely unusual step of shortening his contract by two years to 2018, probably means that he will be leaving Atletico at the end of next season. It’s certainly difficult to think of any logical reason why he would make such a decision unless it was to make an amicable parting of ways more straightforward.
Considering the intensity the Argentine demands both from his players and himself, it’s easy to imagine he has decided the limit of his exertions will soon be reached.
Like his teams, Simeone can only operate at 100 per cent of his capacity – he knows nothing less.
In modern management that takes its toll, and it’s really quite remarkable he has been able to maintain his intensity for so long.
Simeone clearly loves Atletico and would be horrified to leave the club on sour terms. But he cannot stay forever, and Los Rojiblancos should probably start to resign themselves to the likelihood that next season will be his last.
