Atlético Madrid manager Diego Simeone has pointed to away performances as the primary hurdle that has kept his squad from securing major titles in recent seasons, a structural flaw the club has actively tried to correct ahead of their upcoming UEFA Champions League fixture at the Mercedes-Benz Arena.
Away Fixtures and the Pursuit of silverware
Entering his fifteenth season at the club, Simeone and defender David Hancko addressed the media in Stuttgart on the eve of the team’s third European match of the campaign. Hancko noted that the coaching staff has placed heavy emphasis on rectifying past away struggles.
💣🚨 BREAKING: Diego Simeone will remain Atlético Madrid’s manager for the 2026/27 season, with the possibility of extending for one more year beyond 2027.The club and the coach have already spoken and agreed on this. Neither the club nor the coach will trigger the clause that… pic.twitter.com/dOqI8mTXJV
“The manager emphasizes much on that,” Hancko said during the pre-match press conference. “He said we lost the competitions in the away games. We have put a lot of focus on matches away from home.”
Atlético currently holds four wins across eleven matches on the road in all competitions. That figure could rise to five should they overcome Stuttgart in Germany. Simeone, however, maintained a pragmatic stance regarding past results and upcoming opponents.
“As always happens, what happened before, I already forget,” Simeone said. “They will forget what they are praising and value what happens tomorrow. Stuttgart is a hard, physically strong team that started well in the Champions League.”
Squad Depth and Managing a Heavy Schedule
The fixture in Germany marks Atlético’s fifth match in the span of just two weeks. While the dense calendar regularly presents challenges for technical and physical preparation staff, this season’s expanded squad depth has eased rotation concerns.
“When the season ends we can evaluate the squad,” Simeone said regarding the ongoing development of his team. “We are in construction, the team is growing, adapting little by little, some faster than others. We try to manage by giving the minutes that can be good.”
Following the European clash against Stuttgart, Atlético faces domestic league fixtures against Deportivo and Levante before the next international break pauses club competitions.
Atlético enters the match on a six-game winning streak built largely on defensive stability. That defensive structure must temporarily adjust without defender Cuti Romero, who is sidelined for the next two fixtures due to injury.
“The importance of Cuti is clear, but the collective makes us all better,” Simeone said. “We follow the line of 15 years that the team is more important than the individual.”
Hancko echoed the sentiment regarding team cohesion and the lessons learned from the previous campaign, during which Atlético reached the Copa del Rey final and the Champions League semifinals without capturing a trophy.
“The feeling of last season was that we were very close to achieving many things: Copa final, Champions semifinals,” Hancko said. “We were left with the feeling of reaching the end and not culminating. We want to improve it this year.”
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