we-were-the-best-team-in-the-world-until-diego-simeone-came-along

Roberto Firmino, a key member of the successful Liverpool team that clinched the Premier League and the Champions League, discusses his experiences in his new autobiography. In his book, the striker writes, “It’s no secret to anyone. We had achieved triumphs in Europe and across the globe, but one thing remained unfulfilled: winning the Premier League, the trophy our fans coveted the most. I have no doubt that until March 2020, when the world was brought to a halt by the pandemic, we were the best.”

It was at this juncture that Firmino mentions Diego Simeone, the head coach of Atlético Madrid. According to comments reported by Marca, he continues, “After 26 wins in 27 games, it was evident that winning the league was a matter of time, and our goal had evolved: we now aimed to secure the title without a single defeat. We discussed this among ourselves, and why not? We were achieving victory after victory every week, and the finish line was rapidly approaching with no signs of slowing down.

“However, we experienced a slight setback in our season, a small one but one that had significant consequences. This dip, perhaps in the long run, contributed to our loss of supremacy in European and global competitions. In February 2020, we journeyed to Madrid for the last 16 of the Champions League to face Atlético. Diego Simeone, Atlético’s coach, perfectly deciphered our style and devised a method to neutralize us.

“This defeat was our first in five months and only the second of the season, catching us off guard. At that stage of the season, we felt invincible, boasting a strong squad. But in reality, we weren’t invincible. The Atlético result left us in shock, and we learned it the hard way. Subsequently, we encountered three more defeats, which turned out to be even more significant than we could have anticipated. Our 3-0 loss to Watford ended our streak of 18 consecutive Premier League wins and a 44-game unbeaten run.”