Can Diego reinvent Atletico again?

MILAN, May 29

Diego Simeone may not have the stomach to reinvent Atletico Madrid again after they suffered another morale-shattering loss to Real Madrid.

The Atletico coach left doubts in the air with vague answers about his future following their second Champions League final defeat in three seasons to the same opponents. It would be perfectly understandable if the combative Argentine, habitually dressed in all-black, decides he has taken Atletico as far as he can.

Having joined a club teetering close to the relegation zone in 2011, he lifted them out of danger and won the Europa League title, the Copa del Rey and La Liga within three years. Each triumph saw key players depart, invariably to richer clubs, yet Simeone always contrived to rebuild his side.

“To be with Atletico is to be perseverant, competitive, never give up, fight against the difficulties and to know that there are opponents who are better than us,” he said at one stage. “Knowing they are better makes us more competitive to battle against them.” 

The question is whether he will want to go through the whole process again. Whatever he decides, it is almost certain that Simeone will be back somewhere, more likely than not at a club looking to upstage more glamorous rivals. — Reuters