´I love where I am,´ says Simeone after 700th game in charge of Atletico

Diego Simeone said he is “calm and at peace” at Atletico Madrid after his side edged Deportivo Alaves 2-1 in LaLiga in his 700th game in charge of the club.

Atletico went behind through a Jon Guridi penalty in the seventh minute, but Antoine Griezmann drew them level from the spot in the 76th minute.

The winner came via Alexander Sorloth in the 86th minute as Atletico moved four points behind leaders Barcelona.

Simeone, who has been in charge of Atletico since 2011, is the first coach to manage 700 matches with the same LaLiga club.

“I live in the present, we are having a good time, the boys are working very responsibly,” Simeone told DAZN.

“I am calm and at peace. I love where I am and that’s it.”

He managed Atletico to LaLiga title triumphs in 2014 and 2021 and also helped Los Rojiblancos win two Europa League titles in 2012 and 2018.

The game against Alaves was Simeone’s 492nd LaLiga match in charge, and the Argentine has also managed the third-most games with a single club in the Champions League (109), after Alex Ferguson with Manchester United and Arsene Wenger at Arsenal.

Simene pic.twitter.com/YjhdZUBKug

— Atlético de Madrid (@atletienglish) November 23, 2024

Atleti’s fifth straight win across all competitions, courtesy of a late fightback on Saturday, was also the 54-year-old’s 300th in the Spanish top flight.

Javi Galan had conceded a penalty for a handball inside the box and Guridi sent Jan Oblak the wrong way to put Atleti on the backfoot.

“The first half started with a penalty that made it difficult for us to progress in the match. The opponent scored and sat back, the spaces became smaller,” Simeone said after the game.

“The team looked cold. In the second half we warmed up. The lads who came on did well, they gave us speed in the final stretch and strength in the box.”

After registering an xG of just 0.25 in the first half, Atletico were a much-improved outfit after the break, attempting four shots and finishing the half with an xG of 1.39 and three points.

“In the second half we created more chances and we got the reward of an important victory,” Simeone said.

His side, who have the best defensive record in the league having conceded just eight goals in 14 matches, will face Real Valladolid in their next LaLiga game on 30 November.