'The snowball never stops!' - Diego Simeone identifies with Pep Guardiola's struggles as Atletico boss makes massive burnout admission

As the curtain falls on the 2025-26 campaign, Simeone has reflected on the most taxing season of his long tenure at Atletico Madrid. Speaking ahead of the final-day clash against Villarreal, the Argentine coach diverted his attention to Manchester City, where Guardiola recently announced his departure, citing the immense wear and tear of the job. Simeone revealed that Guardiola's farewell speech struck a chord with his own experiences in the dugout.

The Atletico manager praised Guardiola's honesty, admitting that the pressure of modern management is becoming increasingly difficult to sustain. "The truth is that yesterday I read a bit of what Guardiola said, his explanation in the press conference, and, if you changed the name – I clearly haven't won the trophies he has won – but I felt very identified with the story he was telling and which he explained very well," Simeone told reporters.

Simeone elaborated on the specific demands that lead to such significant burnout, highlighting the mental fatigue of managing a squad while being constantly under the microscope. He described the profession as a never-ending cycle that leaves very little room for recovery or reflection, regardless of the results on the pitch.

"With the consequence of having to be exposed every three days, competing every three days, especially talking to the players for their involvement in the game beyond training sessions, the group management and all this generate a snowball that does not stop, which starts again two days after the game you last competed in," the Argentine admitted.

Despite the fatigue, he remained proud of his team's efforts, adding: "It is a long season, in which I think, as we have explained, we competed very well. Hopefully next season can be better, which would mean something superior to what we achieved this season."

While discussing the departure of his Premier League counterpart, Simeone was quick to label Guardiola as the gold standard of coaching. He acknowledged that while City's resources are vast, the ability to maintain a winning culture year after year is a feat that few can replicate. Simeone credited Guardiola’s success to a unique ability to find motivation when most would have reached their limit.

"An incredible job, just like he is," Simeone said. "Surely, the best coach in the world at this moment because of his ability to reinvent himself, his ability to win – because this is all about winning – and, above all, being in a team where we say good players arrive, but you have to win, and winning is not easy. He has repeated it, starting over, and he has repeated it again, and that speaks for itself of the hierarchy and quality he has in his work. I wish him the best in his life; I don't think he will be out of it for long, but surely one or two years will go by quickly before he returns because he is made of football."

The focus for Atletico now shifts to their trip to the Ceramica, where they aim to leapfrog into third place in the final standings. Simeone stressed that finishing strongly is vital after a season spent chasing the top spots. The match also serves as a farewell to several stalwarts of the league, adding an extra layer of emotion to the contest.

"It is clear that tomorrow is an important match in terms of finishing better in La Liga than we have been throughout the season, because we have always been below third, if I am not mistaken," Simeone explained. "We hope to have the conscience to play a good game and, consequently, be able to finish as high as possible, which, in this case, would be third place. It is clear that we are going to play against a team that will want to finish in the best way, with the departure of Parejo, the departure of the coach and their last home game with the classic characteristics of Villarreal throughout La Liga, which identified them very well in their play. We will see how it develops on the pitch."