Simeone: The Rewriter of Derby History
Atlético de Madrid’s coach, Diego Simeone, has rewritten the history of derbies in the city of Madrid. Since he took over the team, the numbers have been very even, with 13 Real Madrid wins, 12 Atlético de Madrid wins, and 17 draws in 42 games.
This is a significant change from previous eras, in which Real Madrid dominated. Simeone has defended that the turning point in this trend was the 2013 Copa del Rey, in which Atlético beat Real Madrid at the Santiago Bernabéu.
Since then, Atlético has proven to be a formidable rival, with wins and draws against their eternal city rival. The numbers also support Simeone’s effectiveness in his individual matches against Real Madrid coach Carlo Ancelotti, with five wins to the Italian’s two.
Although Atlético has not beaten Real Madrid in the league at the Santiago Bernabéu in nine years, they have shown themselves to be a competitive team, with two wins in the last seven matches between the two rivals. Atlético is the only LaLiga team to have scored at the Bernabéu for six consecutive years, and their record in finals is three wins and three losses since Simeone took over the team.
