Time for a change at Atletico Madrid

Could it be time for a change at the helm for Atletico Madrid?

With Atletico Madrid dropping two more points away to Granada, the time has come to ask whether Diego Simeone is the right man going forward.

Atletico Madrid seemed primed to take La Liga by storm and challenge for the title. While they may have some lost some key pieces like Diego Godin, Lucas Hernandez, and Rodrigo, the team spent in the summer to replace them.

They brought in the likes of Joao Felix, Mario Hermoso, Hector Herrera, and Marcos Llorente to bolster the side.

While the team currently sits in fourth place behind Barcelona, Real Madrid and Sevilla, it’s hard not to think that they’ve squandered an opportunity given the early season struggles of Barcelona and Real Madrid.

That being said, perhaps it’s time both Atletico Madrid and Diego Simeone decide what’s the best plan for the future. What that might mean is perhaps it’s time for Atletico to look for someone to replace Simeone.

What Simeone has done for the club is undeniable. He led them to two Champions Leagues final, a Europa League title and a La Liga title. He’s been their Pep Guardiola and completely transformed that club.

But every cycle reaches its end point.

If there is a knock on Simeone it’s that he’s married to his system. He plays intense defensive football. If his team goes up, they’ll sit back and try to hit on the counter. Usually, that system worked because of their defense and Jan Oblak.

Simeone has tried to change to a more offensive approach but he reverts back to type when that isn’t working. That has been the case this season.

Joao Felix was signed for a huge fee and despite playing well in preseason, he’s struggled to adapt and is just now returning from an injury.

Offensive players have come and gone because they’ve been unable to adapt. Those who are left, like Thomas Lemar, continue to struggle. Even with Morata and Costa, before he picked up an injury, Atletico were struggling to score.

After their 1-1 draw against Granada, according to Diario AS, Simeone said,

"“This was our best performance of those away from home and also possibly of those at home too. We were very consistent, especially in the first 30 minutes.”"

That might be all well and good but a team with their type of resources, they should be doing better against a side like Granada.

They’ve scored only 16 goals this season which ranks them in the lower half of the table. They’ve conceded only nine which explains why despite the lack of scoring, they find themselves in fourth.

While it is unlikely anything happens during the middle of the season, an evaluation has to be made at the end especially if they suffer an early Champions League exit and finish anywhere less than third place.

Has Simeone taken this side as far as they can go?

That is a reasonable question to ask. No matter how well one does, the pressure is always there to improve. Just take a look at what happened with Tottenham and Mauricio Pochettino. He led them to a Champions League final but struggled this season and a move was ultimately made to let him go.

Simeone is one of the longest tenured coaches in Spain. A decision to move on is going to prove difficult but unless things improve for Atletico, it may be a choice the board has to make.