There are teams that have done well during the Simeone era. Elche, Rayo Vallecano or Granada are some examples, winning 83% and 79% (x2) of the games respectively. However, on the other side of the coin is Girona , against whom he has only been able to win 4 games out of 10.
Girona: always uncomfortable
After their first promotion, Pablo Machín's Girona team became a team that was difficult for anyone to beat . Their first year in the top national competition was so surprising that they reached tenth place in the table.
From the first matchday, Girona showed that they were going to fight. Only a goal from Jose Maria Gimenez after a free kick taken by Koke could cancel out Cristhian Stuani's double in a horrible game for Simeone's men. In this match, Angel Correa came on as a substitute to score a great goal from outside the area.
In the return match, the game would be different in terms of play but identical in result . A pass over the defence from Thomas Partey would set up Diego Costa to head in Antoine Griezmann. 1-0 after half an hour and the match looked different, however in the second half Girona dared to attack.
A missed clearance from Koke from the byline was taken advantage of by Portu to equalise the score. The Atlético de Madrid captain made another mistake last year that cost Atlético de Madrid a goal in the 4-3 defeat at Montilivi.
The year of Girona's relegation: more of the same
The following season, Girona were unable to maintain their place in the league and even then, Atlético were unable to improve their record against the Catalan team. In four games, two in the Copa del Rey and two in the League, they only won one, drew three and, worse still, were eliminated from the Cup.
In the League , the first match followed the same pattern as the previous ones. There were chances for both teams and a serious error by Oblak and another by Jonas Ramalho for Girona were key in both goals that gave the 1-1 result. While the return match at the Metropolitano was a comfortable 2-0 for Diego Pablo Simeone's team.
In the Copa del Rey, the story was different with a similar result: two draws with a disastrous result for the red-and-whites. In the first leg, there were again two errors by the goalkeepers: Gorka Iraizoz and Miguel Ángel Moyá were key in the goals. However, in the return leg , disaster struck .
Atlético de Madrid took the lead with a goal from Croatian Nikola Kalinic, which was equalised by Valery, his first goal in Girona's shirt with the first team. Girona took the lead with a goal from Stuani, a usual suspect in these matches, which was equalised by Ángel Correa. Antoine Griezmann's entry meant putting the score at 3-2 with a goal from him in the 84th minute.
However, Atlético de Madrid's peculiar bête noire was plagued by the usual cup failures, except for last season. A goal from FIFA legend Seydou Doumbia kept Simeone's men out of the quarter-finals. He also scored in true video game style, finishing off a poor shot from Borja García after a cross from Pedro Porro in the 88th minute.
And the victories came
After the Catalan side's second promotion in 2022, Atlético have been able to string together three wins in four games. Their only defeat was last year at Montilivi after that crazy game where Álvaro Morata scored three goals. A surreal goal from Ivan Martín would leave the three points at Montilivi and end up sinking Atlético into fourth place in the table.
Now, a renewed Atlético de Madrid faces the second matchday of the League with the obligation to win against Girona after the failure in La Cerámica and with doubts still to be resolved. It seems that Clement Lenglet will end up being the defensive reinforcement that Atlético de Madrid needs at the expense of another arrival that Simeone has predicted in a press conference.
To make matters worse, it is the return of the fans to the Metropolitano after a bittersweet season and with the feeling that it is time to take another step forward. The four legs of the table that Simeone puts so much emphasis on seem stronger than ever and ready to experience a historic season .