Ashwin Ballal - Made in Argentina, Mastered in Madrid: How Diego Simeone Awakened a Sleeping Giant

First published by Pitch Publishing, 2022

Pitch Publishing

A2 Yeoman Gate

Yeoman Way

Durrington

BN13 3QZ

www.pitchpublishing.co.uk

Ashwin Ballal, 2022

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A CIP catalogue record is available for this book from the British Library

Print ISBN 9781801501620

eBook ISBN 9781801503181

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MADE IN Argentina, Mastered in Madrid: How Diego Simeone Awakened a Sleeping Giant originated with an idea in December 2020, when Atltico Madrid were top of the league after an excellent start to the 2020/21 season. Diego Simeone had recently done something thought to be impossible, changing his tactics and opting for a new formation altogether, but the shift seemed to work and Atltico found themselves in a position that they were perhaps not supposed to be in. Indeed, with the likes of Real Madrid and Barcelona always being favourites for the title, Spains La Liga had long been a two-horse race and, at most, the honour of best of the rest was at stake for the remaining 18 sides.

Yet, this was something that Atltico had done before and, in ten full seasons, not only have they firmly established themselves as the best of the rest in Spain, but they have shown that they have what it takes to blow the race for top spot wide open, punching above their weight and winning the league twice while also making their presence felt in Europes premier club competitions. It was not too long ago that Atltico found themselves well off the dizzying heights that they are at now, but in his trademark counter-attacking style, Simeone has taken them forwards in the blink of an eye, propelling them to unprecedented success.

Despite coming under fire for his often conservative approach, he has shown the world that success can be achieved in many different ways, and not only has the charismatic manager inspired an entire club to achieve success but he has also been a primary source of inspiration for this book. If anything, he has shown the world that as long as you give it your all, you can achieve whatever you set out to do and that with consistent effort you might even surprise yourself with the results. So, thank you, Diego Simeone.

The next big thank you goes out to Pitch Publishing, for believing in my idea and giving me the platform to turn it into reality. As a child, reading was one of my favourite pastimes and, though my passion for writing would develop only later on, I had always wondered how cool it must be for someone to purchase a few pages containing words that you had written. Thanks to Paul and Jane Camillin for allowing me to experience this, and special thanks to Duncan Olner, of Olner Pro Sports Media, for giving my dream an identity with his wonderful cover design. I know that I had a lot of worries and concerns with this being my very first book, but thanks to all of them for putting up with me and ensuring that this turned out in the best way possible. It truly was a pleasure working with you.

To Sam Leveridge, for without his valuable feedback and insights this book would never have gotten past the first few drafts. His knowledge and affection for Atltico Madrid and football in general knows no bounds and I will always be grateful for his contribution, shuffling between his media duties to read my work while covering a La Liga game somewhere. I certainly have not made your life easy, Sam, but I can never thank you enough for this massive favour. Hope you enjoyed working on this as much as I did.

Credit also to some of the other brilliant journalists, and outlets such as These Football Times, Into The Calderon and La Liga Lowdown, which have covered both Atltico Madrid and Diego Simeone extensively, providing excellent reference points for some of my work. Euan McTears Hijacking La Liga: How Atltico Madrid Broke Barcelona and Real Madrids Duopoly was one of the first books that I came across regarding the club, and its excellent narrative on the first title win under Simeone is well worth a read, as is Euans other work on Spanish football. The same goes for The Guardians Sid Lowe and FourFourTwos Andy Mitten, both of whom have consistently displayed top-class journalism extending beyond the topics I have covered, and whose articles I have diligently followed long before the conception of this book. Special thanks to you all.

Big shout-out to Chris Darwen and Total Football Analysis for giving me the space to publish my first football-related article, effectively starting this journey when they took me in and gave me the support and development that I needed to grow. It was here that I first started paying greater attention to the intricacies of tactics and data in football, and without them I might never have wandered this deep into the sport. Chris especially has opened so many doors for me in the football industry and I would not be able to do the work I do today if not for his faith and trust. What started as a hobby has now sparked into a career, giving me the chance to work for clubs and clients across the globe and for all of this, I am truly grateful to you, Chris, and the rest of the Total Football Analysis community as well.

I would also like to thank the four Atltico Madrid fans who very kindly allowed me to pepper them with questions, giving me valuable insights. Their passion for the colours of red and white is evident, and they truly are a fair reflection of the greater Atltico faithful. In no particular order (and with their Twitter handles), they are Ayush (@parteyismo), Emmanuel Lavogez (@captainkoke), Carla Fernndez (@cxrlxandone) and Amer Al-Hashimi (@HashimiATM), who also happens to run Atletico Universe (@atletiuniverse), a popular page for any and all content regarding the club. All of them are well worth a follow if you would like to stay in touch with Atltico and learn more, and I really appreciate their contribution to this book.

This brings me to the most important people in my life, my family, to whom I owe everything. Rajini and Sudhindra, my mum and dad, have been constant pillars of support for me all through my life and without their effort and endless sacrifices I could never even imagine writing a single word of this book. Even when I doubted myself, they pushed me to take the leap of faith and gave me all the space I needed to focus on this book, and I only hope that I have made them proud. Not to forget my younger brother, Vinay, who keeps me company for every single game across all the sports that we watch together, and whose jokes and jibes never fail to make my day. I would also like to thank my grandparents, who have loved, supported and pampered me no end, and especially my Joe Thatha, with whom I have shared many books and stories and though he may not be here today to see this, I hope that he is smiling down at me from up above. To them, and all my other extended family and friends, thank you very much for all your love and support, and for making my life that much better.