Diego Simeone, wearing his trademark black suit, shirt and tie, vigorously urged the 53,000 crowd to get behind his team. After 70 minutes of Saturday’s game at home to promoted Elche, the score stubbornly remained 0-0 and the tension in the sell-out crowd was palpable.
Simeone did not want it to transmit to and debilitate his players, so he repeatedly left his bench and faced the crowd, whipping them up.
Atleti would go six points clear at the top if they won. After seven league victories in succession, the title was in their own hands, a situation so improbable at the start of the season that even the most optimistic Atleti player did not believe that they could break Spain’s big two.
While they are yet to win a trophy, they are very close.
Atletico moved even closer when defender Miranda scored in the 72nd minute. The primal screams that followed in the Calderon were part elation, part relief, just as they had been when they took the lead against Barcelona two weeks ago, a lead they held.
Diego Costa added a second goal on Saturday, his 27th league strike with four games remaining. Chasing a first Spanish Primera Liga title since 1996, Atletico are four points clear of a Barca team they will meet on the final day and six clear of their neighbours Real Madrid, who have one game in hand.
Under Simeone’s guidance, Atletico Madrid have been the surprise team of European football, a selling club who have defeated richer foes. It is no surprise that they have become the neutrals’ favourite.
From the start, Simeone’s mantra has been to take each game at a time and it is working. His players adore him, work for him and repeat his ethos to the media. They believe in it and – despite their brilliance, which saw them go toe-to-toe and draw twice with Barca at the start of the season in the Spanish Super Cup – they have never got carried away.
They face Chelsea at home on Tuesday night in their first European Cup semi-final since 1974, which they won before losing to Bayern Munich in the final in a replay.
Atletico hammered the Londoners 4-1 in the 2012 European Super Cup, yet they start as slight underdogs, over two legs, against the 2012 Champions League winners.
Chelsea are a team who have been linked with several of their players, a team, which, when they loaned Atletico outstanding goalkeeper Thibaut Courtois, did not think they were sending him to a rival.
Chelsea are not the only club to have seriously underestimated Simeone’s side this season.
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