The Xavi v Simeone rivalry has moved to the dugouts

There have been 10 meetings between Barcelona and Atlético Madrid in which the Catalan played and the Argentine coached, plus three tactical battles that were all won by Xavi.

This Sunday’s FC Barcelona vs Atlético de Madrid match is one of the most highly anticipated fixtures of the LALIGA EA SPORTS season, given that both these teams are battling near the top of the table and given that both these sides have produced some memorable showdowns over the years. They enter Matchday 15 level on 31 points each, although Atleti have a game in hand still to play, and both teams must give their all to keep pace with Real Madrid and Girona FC, who are above them in the standings. 

Two different footballing philosophies

This will be an interesting match from a tactical point of view, as these are two coaches with quite different footballing philosophies, with Xavi wanting his sides to keep the ball and to play attacking football, whereas Diego Simeone is willing to forego possession if he thinks it gives his team a better chance of winning. That said, both coaches have shown their flexibility in recent months, making this duel even more fascinating.

In 2016, while playing in Qatar, Xavi was critical of the style of football employed by Simeone’s Atleti sides. “I don’t like to watch teams that sit back,” he said in an interview with the ‘Universo Valdano' show. “That’s not the style a big club should have.”

Responding to that in a press conference, Simeone explained: “I respect all opinions, as we can all be right in the world of football. I just look to make the most of the players I have available. I just want to win, not to please others.”

Although Xavi and Simeone have always been respectful when discussing one another, it’s clear that they have different ideas about the beautiful game and how to approach the 90 minutes of a football match.

Simeone’s 10 duels against Xavi the player and three clashes as coaches

Although Simeone is far more experienced than Xavi as a coach, the Argentine is only 10 years older than the Barça boss. They coincided in LALIGA EA SPORTS during their playing days, during Simeone’s second spell at Atlético Madrid between 2003 and 2005.

Even though the Blaugrana and Rojiblancos met three times between Simeone returning to Spain from Italy and moving on again to Argentina, he and Xavi never actually shared the pitch. In those three matches against FC Barcelona, Simeone never came off the bench for Atleti in any of them, meaning the two midfielders never actually went up against each other as players.

They have, though, had 10 duels in which Xavi was playing for FC Barcelona and Simeone was coaching Atlético de Madrid. Xavi and Barça won four of those 10, in addition to five draws and one defeat, when the capital city side progressed in the 2013/14 Champions League quarter-finals.

Overall, Simeone’s record coaching against FC Barcelona is five wins, 11 draws and 18 losses from 34 meetings. And, the Argentine has lost all three of his head-to-head duels with Xavi the coach so far, with the Catalan overseeing a thrilling 4-2 victory and two 1-0 wins, in which Ousmane Dembélé and Ferran Torres scored the only goals of those games. This Sunday, Simeone will seek revenge and what would be a first win as a coach against Xavi.