One point I’d like to make as it relates to Atleti. These thoughts go beyond the context of Paco’s insights.

One line from Murthy that resonates with me is when he talks about how having expectations of winning La Liga and the CL nearly bankrupted the club before.+ https://twitter.com/cholocolcho/status/1294977983451746306

While he’s obviously dancing/deflecting, I think he has a point—specifically in how Valencia tasted success in the early 2000s and then, *partially* in an effort to stay close to Madrid & Barca, 2 clubs that are in another tier altogether, made short-sighted financial decisions.+

This is exactly the point I’ve made with Atleti when I push against fans (mostly uninformed fans of other clubs, tbf) who say Atleti should be fighting for titles with this squad.

Atleti’s goal isn’t to compete with clubs that are notably richer and more powerful than them.+

That sort of thinking often leads to short-sighted moves that create a “win now at all costs” mentality and mortgages sustained growth.

High (but unsustainable) potential rewards, but with even higher risk. Realistic expectations create sustainable progress. *Realistic*.+

Here’s a reality—Atleti overachieved under Simeone from ~2013-2016. They’re simply not a club that “should” be competing with Barca and Madrid, 2 clubs that have had more than double their revenue and still have about 40% more. They “shouldn’t” be making 2 CL finals in 3 years.+

Simeone has this club punching well above its weight and playing at a level beyond their means, quality, and capabilities. That’s breaking a ceiling, but also going ABOVE their new ceiling.

It was always unsustainable. Always. It was historic and special for the clubs & fans.+

The wiser way forward imo (and Simeone & the club seems to share this view) is to try and establish Atleti’s place as the third-best team in Spain for the long-term—and to compete for the CL title as a second tier club.

*Sustained* growth and financial security is the priority.+

For fans, this will pay dividends in the long run. The multi-year successes in Europe that Atleti achieved has put them in a far better financial position than was even dreamt about 7-10 years ago. The new stadium is a poster child for that point. Now the club looks long-term.+

Fans have to recalibrate expectations as well.

For those fans who have been around for a decade or 2 (or 3 ), this is still an exciting time. Being clear of the rest of Spain and cutting into Barca & Madrid’s “shares” is massive! The future is still bright! +

For those fans who joined since Simeone came and Atleti stared tasting success, this will feel like “settling”. For some—and for non-fans who know next to nothing about the club—this will even feel like a step backwards.+

Any talk about Simeone’s future, squad planning, and objectives in La Liga has to happen in the context of this greater perspective.

“The way forward” has to be defined, and 95% of people I see talking about it are just uninformed and new to the game (said with no disrespect).+

Lots of words to just say that I hope Atleti fans can create expectations based on longer trends, not just based on the fact that the team was seconds away from 2 CL titles.

And just ignore non-fans who, frankly, don’t know what they’re talking about.
/END