Mikel Arteta might have been speaking about his Arsenal team. “The level of organisation is really high,” he said. “It is about how they compete and after how they play.”
It was actually an ode to Atletico Madrid. There will be a 90-minute opportunity to compare them tonight. There is a broader similarity. There are managers who have brought longevity and stability, returning to their former clubs when they were at a low ebb and effecting a transformation. Diego Simeone is a former Atletico player, Arteta an ex-Arsenal captain and each, arguably, owed his appointment in part to that status.
The critical interpretation is that both became nearly men. Arteta has three consecutive finishes as runners-up in the Premier League, though the Gunners are league leaders now and, in the eyes of an increasing number, title favourites.
Simeone reached two Champions League finals, winning neither, though he twice took the LaLiga title. There is an argument, too, that he is the Argentine Arsene Wenger: not in terms of style of play, but with a seemingly never-ending reign, built on annual Champions League qualification, as though third or fourth place represents a title in itself, but with the best years among the first.
Arteta is nevertheless an admirer. How does he rate his Atleti counterpart? “At the highest level,” he replied. “What he has done since he has got to Atletico has been outstanding. Not only what he has done but the way he has achieved it. I think the identity that he has created at the club, to the team, the spirit, they are simple and clear to identify. That is extremely difficult to achieve for a short period of time and to do it for 14 years is incredible.”
Atleti are nevertheless changing a bit. “They have evolved from the team they are a year ago until now,” noted Arteta.
And Arsenal’s own evolution may make them resemble Atleti… but not so much the class of 2025. Arsenal have conceded three goals in 11 games this season, none in two in the Champions League. Last year, they were breached only three times in eight group games.
Go back to Simeone’s heyday, and some other numbers spoke to consistent frugality: 26, 29, 18, 27, 22, 29, 27, 25, the number of goals Atleti conceded in eight consecutive (38-match) LaLiga seasons. Were there an award for the defence of the 2010s, it probably should go to Madrid, and not to Real.
Arteta was delighted that, unprompted by him, William Saliba watched Atletico’s game against Osasuna on Arsenal’s team coach after their own win against Fulham. Maybe, though, Saliba has been studying old videos of Diego Godin, Jose Maria Gimenez, Stefan Savic and Miranda, the men at the heart of impenetrable Atletico defences. Maybe, Jurrien Timber and Riccardo Calafiori are secret admirers of Juanfran and Filipe Luis. Possibly, David Raya can compare clean sheet records with Jan Oblak at the Emirates Stadium.
But – Oblak and Gimenez apart – they form the past. In the 2020s, Atletico have been less stingy. In two of the last four seasons, they have conceded 43 times in LaLiga. Where Arsenal let in three goals in the Champions League’s initial phase last season, Atletico conceded 12, scored 20 and came fifth. Had Simeone reinvented them as entertainers?
This season could suggest so. They began their campaign with a 3-2 defeat at Anfield. They thrashed Eintracht Frankfurt 5-1, three days after beating Real 5-2. Simeone has spent heavily in the last two summers, but much of it has been on forwards – particularly the prolific Julian Alvarez plus Alexander Sorloth and Giacomo Raspadori – and a host of midfielders, including Conor Gallagher, Alex Baena, Johnny Cardoso and Thiago Almada. Until this summer, when Viktor Gyokeres, Eberechi Eze and Noni Madueke arrived, Arteta was accused of concentrating too much of his resources on buying defenders.
But the Atleti identity he admires is apparent in their spirit. They remain obdurate opponents. “First of all, the willingness to win,” the Arsenal manager said. “You can sense that in every ball and every single yard.” It stems, he thinks, from Simeone. “Someone I look up to and learn from,” he said. “What for me is outstanding is his passion.”
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A sequel would be notable because Arsenal have not conceded twice in a game since May. So far this season, only Dominik Szoboszlai, Erling Haaland and Nick Woltemade have scored against them.
Arsenal have not even conceded a shot on target in their last two league matches. If anyone is configured to salivate over such an achievement, it may be Simeone. Because it is Simeone-esque.