Diego Simeone 500: El Cholo Hits Atletico Milestone
Atletico Madrid again beat Getafe on Wednesday to mark Diego Simeone's 500th match in charge of the Rojiblancos.
Diego Simeone became just the second Atletico Madrid coach to reach 500 games in charge as the Colchoneros beat Getafe 1-0 on Wednesday.
Simeone trails only Luis Aragones (611 matches) in all competitions, with the same two men atop the club's LaLiga list - Simeone on 340, Aragones on 407.
The victory over Getafe courtesy of a Luis Suarez goal, consolidating top spot, was the incumbent coach's 301st.
A second LaLiga title triumph under Simeone is in Atleti's sights this season, yet 'El Cholo' is already their most successful coach.
His seven major honors are just clear of Aragones' six, and Simeone has the best LaLiga win ratio - 60.2 per cent - of all Rojiblanco bosses to manage at least 32 matches
The outstanding statistics do not stop there, though.
DEFENSIVELY DOMINANT
Few would argue Simeone's sides are the most exciting to watch, but they are certainly tough to beat.
Simeone has overseen 183 LaLiga clean sheets as Atleti coach, the most of any Rojiblanco boss in the history of the competition.
And since the start of the 2012-13 season, his first full campaign in charge, Atleti lead the way in Europe's top five leagues with 173 clean sheets in 318 matches. Paris Saint-Germain are next on that list with 158 shutouts in 310 Ligue 1 games.
It should come as no surprise then that Atleti have also conceded the fewest goals on the continent over the same period.
EL CHOLO'S FAVORITE FOES
Simeone shows no signs of stopping, which will continue to concern poor Getafe.
Wednesday's match was Simeone's 18th meeting with Getafe and, quite remarkably, his team are yet to concede a single goal against them, recording 16 wins alongside two goalless draws.
That is Simeone's best record against any one side, while Atleti also enjoyed their biggest win of his tenure versus Getafe, a 7-0 triumph in November 2013.
Real Madrid are the opponents Simeone has faced most often, on 33 occasions, while Barcelona have beaten the 50-year-old 15 times, representing another high.
EUROPA LEAGUE EUPHORIA
Champions League glory has evaded Simeone despite reaching two finals, losing to rivals Madrid in 2014 and 2016.
But the Atleti coach has delivered international success in the Europa League. The Spanish side won that competition in 2012 and 2018, adding UEFA Super Cup titles on each occasion, with Simeone claiming more trophies in Europe than in domestic action.
Only Unai Emery - in 2014, 2015 and 2016 - has won the Europa League more often.
And the Europa League is the competition in which Simeone has enjoyed his best winning record, coming out on top in 21 of their 26 matches (80.8 per cent).
