FIFA Coach of the Year: Why Diego Simeone should win the accolade

02 December 2014 10:02

This is the time of the year when the football world goes into 'debate mode' as the race for the more individual accolades in the 'team' game gets underway. The reflection of performances over the calendar year are acknowledged in terms of nominations for 'The World Player of the Year', 'Coach of the Year' and ''Puskas Award' - for the best goal. Also announced is the 'Team of the Year' to honor and recognize the efforts put in by a player during the season.

This season it’s no different; when you are fighting for individual honors in a sport that is a 'team game' there is always going to be a questions asked on the basis of the award, there are controversies as various opinions are aired on the topic and the competition is fierce as the very best in the game go against each other. The FIFA Coach of the Year award this term will be especially close, as three managers who have had an excellent year face of for one award.

The World Cup winning coach Joachim Low is nominated alongside two coaches managing two sides from the Capital of Spain and two finalists of the UEFA Champions League – Carlo Ancelloti and Diego Simeone. The award this term however will be tough to decide as the all three have had an excellent year. With Carlo Ancelloti winning the domestic cup and the fabled “La Decima” for Real Madrid, Diego Simeone did what everyone thought was impossible as he broke the cycle of dominance of Real Madrid and Barcelona and won the Spanish League with Atletico Madrid while Joachim Low lifted the most important trophy in the history of the game – the FIFA World Cup.

Despite all the success the three nominees have come by, there can only be one winner and who deserves to win will cause much debate. Perhaps not as much as the FIFA Ballon d'Or but the voters will be torn after the heroics of the managerial trio. On a certain level people might be inclined to go with Joachim Low for the World Cup win, or Carlo Ancelloti for winning Real Madrid their tenth UEFA Champions League but If any one’s story tells an amazing tale of the underdogs it’s Diego Simeone.

Working on a shoestring budget compared to the giants in Spanish Primera Division and after the departure of their top scorer and best player Radamel Falcao to AS Monaco, even the most optimistic of fans would not have imagined the league success at the end of the season. Atletico Madrid’s rise to the Champions of La Liga is nothing short of a movie script as a relatively small team fought against all odds and might of Barcelona and Real Madrid to clinch the title. The tale could have had a more glorious end had Atletico Madrid managed to hold on for a few more minutes in the Champions League final against their city rivals Real Madrid but even without the Holy Grail of Europe the glittering season of Los Rojiblancos is one for the history books.

Only Valencia under Rafa Benitez had managed to win the league other than Real Madrid and Barcelona in the 21st century but Diego Simeone’s men proved to the world that football is more than having the best players in the squad- it’s about having the best team where each player would lay down their lives for their team mates, manager and the crest over their heart.

Diego Simeone deserves all the plaudits he is getting as no one would have thought the center back pairing of Miranda and Diego Godin could prove to be such an impenetrable force in La Liga and Europe while beating Courtois between the sticks proved nearly impossible. No one would have guessed the fight shown by Gabi, Arda Turan, and Raul Garcia along with Koke rising among the very best at a tender age. Diego Costa who was always overlooked due to his temperamental issues along with David Villa terrorized the defences across the Europe and the void left by a certain Colombian no longer seemed like a void.

The stories final last twist came as Los Rojiblancos traveled to the Nou Camp to take on Barcelona in a title decider with the visitors needing only a draw to ensure their name in the history books and with Alexis Sanchez giving Barcelona the lead it turned out just like in the movies as Diego Godin rose highest to head home and be the hero as Atletico Madrid claimed the La Liga title.

There would not be much surprise if any one of the trio are announced the winner but looking back on what happened in the last calendar year, the fairytale story of Atletico Madrid will always be one to remember for the football fans and awarding Simeone would be a salute to the greatest aspects of this beautiful game – team work, spirit and determination.

Source: DSG