THE LAST time Manchester United supporters saw Diego Simeone they were hurling missiles at him.
A gleeful Simeone charged down the Old Trafford touchline after Atletico Madrid’s win in March 2022, the last time United played a knockout tie in the Champions League.
As antagonistic as Simeone is, he symbolises everything United supporters want in a manager. Longevity, identity, success and passion.
However much longer Michael Carrick remains frowning in the technical area, it feels highly unlikely he will be synonymous with any of those qualities.
Simeone will celebrate his 15th anniversary at Atletico in December. He is an outlier in modern management, though United’s biggest domestic rivals cultivated success through long-serving coaches in the past decade.
Manchester City’s may have been a “sham”, but it is doubtful whether United would have got their act together against Jurgen Klopp’s Liverpool with the Glazer family and Ed Woodward in situ.
Mikel Arteta has seen off three permanent United managers already.
Atletico under Simeone broke up the duopoly of Real and Barcelona. Unlike United on Saturday, Atletico beat ten men at Alaves.
It feels like a lifetime ago that Simeone was linked with the United job. He was briefly among the runners and riders after David Moyes was sacked in April 2014.
Atletico were homing in on a first La Liga title in 18 years and were seconds away from a maiden European Cup in Lisbon.
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Simeone had some support from regulars in the Old Trafford directors’ box, but from those who no longer wielded any power.
He is now so wedded to Atletico that it is jarring to envisage anyone else donning the all-black hitman’s suit and patrolling the vast Wanda Metropolitano dugout.
Simeone’s contract does expire at the end of the season, though.
There was little interaction between Simeone and Carrick during the clubs’ pre-season friendly in Stockholm in early August. They are fire and ice.
Carrick is static and studious. Simeone is an animated cheerleader.
Carrick’s goalkeeping coach, Craig Mawson, took exception to Tottenham defender Kevin Danson’s conduct during the melee following Rodrigo Bentancur’s headbutt on Luke Shaw on Saturday.
Mawson will do well to rein it in with Simeone and his henchmen yards away on Wednesday night.
During Atletico’s trademark 1-0 win at United in 2022, Simeone stormed into Ralf Rangnick’s technical area.
Carrick has never squared up to anyone and his sole red card in a 20-year playing career was for accidentally kicking a ball away against AC Milan at San Siro.
Sir Alex Ferguson described Carrick as a “shy boy” who needed “shaking” at times.
Less than two weeks ago, Ferguson reiterated that a manager has to have charisma. Carrick is lacking in that. Simeone isn’t.
Arne Slot is recent proof a coach does not have to possess such gravitas to have a winner’s medal draped around his neck.
Yet Slot was a lucky general to inherit Klopp’s squad. Carrick is not as lucky.
The Simeone comparison is an awkward one for Carrick to endure with United reeling from their worst league start since 1986.
There was, of course, a change of manager later that year and United did not require another one for 26-and-a-half years.
United and Atletico play in their manager’s image. Carrick was not a lung-busting box-to-box midfielder and United are getting outrun every week.
Simeone’s players charge around the pitch like the hounds of hell and their bark is not necessarily worse than their bite.
Atletico have responded resoundingly to back-to-back defeats to Athletic Bilbao and Liverpool by winning their last four games, with Jose Mourinho’s Real vanquished in a typically ill-tempered derby.
Mourinho brandished hard copies of screen shots that captured some robust Atletico tackles that went unpunished during a memorable post-match press conference. Real centre back Dean Huijsen was the only one who saw red.
Atletico’s tactics got under United’s skin four-and-a-half years ago.
Simeone did not shake hands with interim manager Rangnick, who complained that the referee made it “pretty easy” for Atletico to play their “time-wasting tactics”.
Three days before the round-of-16 second leg, United saw off a Tottenham team with Cristian Romero in defence. Romero, now at Atletico, celebrated Harry Maguire’s own goal that night in the then-United captain’s face.
Maguire did not forget Romero getting in his grill during the 2025 Europa League final in Bilbao, where the needle between them was still sharp.
Romero goaded Maguire after he desperately went to ground during his emergency striker stint. A riled Maguire then retaliated, Romero milked the foul but Maguire was booked.
With United players numb in defeat at full-time, Romero seemed to genuinely commiserate with them, yet Maguire refused the offer of a handshake and berated the Argentine, who retreated back into the Tottenham half.
If Romero and Simeone are successful against United again, they will be safe from any missiles or verbal volleys. Netting will dangle down in front of the distant away end.