The underlying secret of Diego Simeone's success

Posted by Miguel Delaney

LONDON -- It finished with a round of applause that was completely befitting the final flourish.

As Diego Simeone's postmatch news conference came to an end, he demanded to put out a comment of his own.

"I want to congratulate the mothers of these players," the victorious Atletico Madrid manager said. "They gave them bighuevos to play the way they did tonight."

What they did, of course, was completely take Chelsea apart 3-1 in their own stadium. Amid the remarkable rise of Simeone's Atletico, it was easy to forget that Chelsea manager Jose Mourinho had lost a second successive game at Stamford Bridge for the first time ever.

The Argentine's quote, however, was so much more than a bon mot to sum up the admirably aggressive manner of his team. It was a statement to stand alongside any of Mourinho's quotes over the years and only deepened the apparent parallels between the two men.

There is the personality, the style and now, the scale of the achievement. To put Simeone's alchemic achievement into some kind of context, Atletico are the financially weakest team to reach the Champions League final since Mourinho's own FC Porto in 2004.

If that will bring obvious and understandable comparisons between the two coaches, however, it should really make Simeone stand out even more in his own right.

Here, he usurped Mourinho and took command of Stamford Bridge. That was the aspect most pleasing to the Argentine.

"We played so well in the second half, controlling the game against a world-class opponent," Simeone said. "That will be the lasting memory of this game."

Jean Catuffe/Getty ImagesDiego Simeone surpassed Jose Mourinho and made Stamford Bridge his own in Wednesday's second leg.

Even as Mourinho spoke in his own postmatch news conference, celebratory music from the visiting dressing room alongside reverberated through. There, in what was a plaintive and quite graceful appearance in front of the global media after defeat, the Portuguese also nodded his head at one question that was something of a challenge.

Mourinho agreed that Atletico perfectly mirrored the personality of their coach in the manner that used to be so evident with the Chelsea boss for so long.

"That's the difference between one year and three," Mourinho said. "A big difference. I think they're a very good side, very adapted to the ideas of this manager. It looks like every player fits his idea of their play."

On the night, Atletico simply looked a better and more sophisticated team, not so anchored to the counter-attacking approach so many had perceived beforehand.

They were also more intense in the challenge, more committed in attack.

That was the key difference between the teams and the ultimate reason Simeone is in the final and Mourinho is not.

Atletico displayed a deep connection with their coach and his ideas that the Portuguese used to have and now must develop again.

As regards how that translated to the actual pitch, both managers pointed to the 61st minute and Diego Costa's delayed, but ultimately emphatic, penalty.

"I think the difference was one minute in the second half, where Atletico's goalkeeper makes an impossible save fromJohn Terry's header, and, instead of 2-1 to Chelsea a few seconds later, [there was] a penalty, which I'm happy people tell me was a penalty," Mourinho admitted. "In one minute, two actions decided the game. After that, there was only one team on the pitch. My team played with pride, honour and professionalism, but after that moment, the game was controlled by Atletico -- very mature and professional in the way they controlled the game. Complete control."

Simeone proudly echoed those words.

"The 2-1 settled the game, and we controlled it from that moment on."

The Atletico coach also pointed to something even deeper: "The reaction to the first goal was crucial."

It also emphasised the current, more profound contrasts between the teams and the coaches.

AP Photo/Matt DunhamJose Mourinho made it difficult for his side to overcome errors.

The most galling part for Mourinho was that it seemed so perfect at that point, as if he had scripted it. For a start, there was the gambit of playing Fernando Torres paying off, as he scored against his old club. That ensured Chelsea could sit back against a notionally counter-attacking side.

Atletico, however, showed they were much more than that. Chelsea illustrated the danger of so completely depending on their defence. Because when you play that conservatively, you're always going to be less likely to be able to compensate for any errors. And, the longer you sit deep, the more likely it is those errors will eventually arrive.

Here, after defending so superbly in the 2-0 win at Liverpool, those mistakes came in abundance.

First, their back line switched off for Adrian Lopez to plunder the equaliser from the most basic of situations, a set piece. Then, on 59 minutes, Samuel Eto'o committed the clumsy challenge that finally afford Atletico full control. Then, Eden Hazard was caught lax, and Arda Turan got the goal he deserved.

It said so much about Chelsea that the only impact their most exciting player had on the game was important defensive mistakes. By contrast, Atletico again looked like the unit that had offered such a unique opening 20 minutes against Barcelona in the quarterfinals.

There is a true thrust about this team, a growing sense of inevitability, if even destiny.

Mourinho was denied destiny of a different sort. He will not get to lift a record-equalling third Champions League in his home city of Lisbon Portugal.

Instead, Simeone will try to prevent Carlo Ancelotti achieving that exact fact through Real Madrid's own 10th but all while aiming for Atletico's first.

The Argentine was dismissive of such questions or suggestions he is now a coach to rival Mourinho. Instead, he displayed the mentality that has really put him there.

"It's not the time to think about that," Simeone said. "We don't have time to relish the moment because we have to think about the next game against Levante."

That is the other aspect. He must now provide the true last word: victory in the Spanish league; victory in Europe.

At the very least, there can be no denying Atletico and their coach have the "huevos".