Has Diego Simeone overstayed his welcome at Atletico Madrid?

Saturday, May 22 2021 was the day Diego Simeone's heroism peaked. He led Atletico Madrid to their 11th La Liga title, the second one in his decade-long reign at the capital.

Only twice has any team other than Barcelona and Real Madrid won the La Liga in the previous 17 seasons, and on both occasions it was Simeone's Atletico that broke the duopoly. 

But what has happened so far this season can only be described as the worst title defence in recent Spanish football history, as Atletico Madrid are fifth on the log after 24 games. 

The predicament is made even worse by the fact that they are 15 points behind their capital rivals Real Madrid, who sit top of the log and look set to snatch the trophy back.

Atletico have already lost seven games this season, which is alarming compared to last season when they only lost four games the entire campaign. 

The most recent one of those defeats appears to have been the breaking point for Simeone's air of untouchability, as the whispers of an impending sack has started to gain traction.

The Atletico Madrid board, players and fans are extremely loyal to 'El Cholo', as he is fondly called. He only recently signed a contract to keep him at the club till 2024, which also made him the highest-earning manager in Europe.

But following that embarrassing 1-0 loss at home to Levante, the worst team in La Liga, it is becoming unlikely that Simeone will see out this season in charge of Atletico, let alone the three years left on that massive contract.

As if losing at the Wanda Metropolitano to bottom-of-the-table Levante was not bad enough, Atletico Madrid's performance was still somehow worse than the result, which says it all.

Atleti struggled against a team that had only won one game all season: they registered just one shot on target in the whole game and often were on the back foot, playing at home against one of the worst teams in the top five European leagues this season.

That in itself is a sackable offence but in the wider context of the entire season, it looks much worse. The team looks nothing like a 'Simeone team' which is the worrying sign that indicates this might be more than just one bad season.

The Argentine has been in charge of the club since December 2011 and, of course, there have been plenty of bad times but even then, the identity was always clear. Whether or not Simeone's team played well, the defensive solidity and rigid shape had always been a constant until now.

Atletico Madrid have conceded 34 goals in 24 games so far this season, already the highest they have conceded in any of the nine previous full seasons under Simeone's tutelage.

In fact, the worst defensive record for Atletico under Simeone before now was in his first full season in charge, they conceded 31 goals in 38 La Liga games, a total they have already now eclipsed with 14 games to spare.

Therein lies the problem: a system that had stood firm and become the identity of the club in the last 10 years regardless of personnel is no longer yielding fruit. That is the clearest indication that it may be time for Cholo to move on.

He has already achieved more than anyone expected when he took over from Gregorio Manzano halfway through the 2011/12 season. 

Simeone has won two La Liga titles, one Spanish Super Cup, one Copa Del Rey, two UEFA Super Cups and two Europa League titles, making him the most successful Atletico manager of the modern era.

He has overseen 235 La Liga wins, which is the most by any non-Spanish manager, and was named the best manager in the world for his exploits in the 2015/16 season.

The point is, it has been a successful decade for Diego Simeone but what is going on at Atletico Madrid may already be beyond his control and it is time to move on to a different challenge.