Atletico Madrid spent €170 million this summer but suffered a 1-2 defeat against Espanyol away, with Simeone resembling Ten Hag.

On August 18 at 03:30 Beijing time, in the first round of La Liga, Atletico Madrid faced Espanyol away.

In the first half, Alvarez scored directly from a free kick, giving Atletico a 1-0 lead at halftime; in the second half, Alvarez hit the post, Rubio equalized, and Mira scored with a header to take the lead.

Ultimately, Atletico lost 1-2 to Espanyol, suffering a disappointing start to the new La Liga season.

In the match between Espanyol and Atletico, Gonzalez set up a 4-2-3-1 formation, with a starting lineup valued at €54.3 million;Simeone also deployed a 4-2-3-1 formation, with Alvarez upfront, supported by Baena, while Almada and little Simeone played on the flanks. Cardoso and Gallagher partnered as double pivots, with Ruggeri, Hanzko, Lenormand, and Llorente forming the back four, and Oblak in goal, with a starting lineup valued at €411 million. .

Atletico made several significant signings this summer, spending €170 million, matching Real Madrid as the top spenders in La Liga. However, Simeone's inability to create an attacking strategy has become a major weakness for Atletico. In this match, Atletico took the lead with a free kick from Alvarez but failed to convert their dominance into results and were reversed by the supposedly weaker Espanyol, marking a disappointing start to the new season. This also set a record, as it was the first time since 2009 that Atletico lost in the first round of La Liga.

The lack of attacking prowess led to Atletico's defeat, but Simeone did not take the loss personally. In the post-match press conference, he took on a Ten Hag-like persona, stating:“Although we lost, I saw some positive aspects; the team wasn't efficient enough when in control.”In response, fans jokingly remarked that if he was so positive, he should resign, pointing out that despite spending so much money every year, the team still fails to attack and continues to lose, repeating the same excuses.

Throughout the match,Atletico had 60% possession and made 15 shots, 6 more than Espanyol, but they only had 4 shots on target, one less than Espanyol. .

In my opinion, Atletico losing points against one of the theoretically weakest teams in La Liga, Espanyol, indicates that they lack the strength to compete for the title. Simeone has become the biggest obstacle to Atletico's improvement. As long as Simeone remains, Atletico will never succeed; they will continue to struggle offensively, which reflects his inadequate coaching ability. Despite being the highest-paid coach in football with an annual salary of €30 million, Atletico remains the epitome of mediocrity in the top five leagues, too afraid to change coaches and innovate.