3) He has a big game mentality
The Atletico Madrid manager has a relentless drive for victory. Simeone expects his players to know what is required when they play a match regardless of it being a La Liga game or a cup final. He manages to instill belief in his players and management that the club can do it, that winning is possible and a necessity.
Summarising this belief, he said, “When I reach a Cup final, my players already know what is going to be my headline quote: You don’t play finals, you win them.”
This unbending will to win inspires his players to give their all on the field. This will to win is the reason why the Argentine has been able to work his magic with the club inspite of it having players and a budget inferior to that of clubs like Real Madrid and Barcelona.
The incident against Malaga, where Simeone instructed a ball-boy to throw a ball into the field of play during a Malaga attack, signifies his will to win. While he got banned from La Liga games for the rest of the season for his actions it would likely not have mattered much to him as they won the game. All that matters is,the game has to be won at all costs.
