Simeone not the best at having relationship with players, says Filipe Luis

Filipe Luis has admitted that Diego Simeone tends not to get too personal with his players and struggles to get along with them on an individual level.

The former Brazil international worked alongside the Argentine coach for several years at Atletico Madrid, achieving some of the greatest success in the club’s history.

“He would ask for your best in each training session. He always asks for everyone’s best, but he’s not very good when it comes to the treatment of people,” Filipe Luis told O Jogo.

“He doesn’t find it easy to form relationships with his players. He struggles to understand the personal characteristics of players but sometimes he swallows his pride.”

Filipe Luis believes incidents at Atletico this season underline these claims about Simeone’s nature as a coach.

“There have been various episodes like the ones with Joao Felix and the bottle or Luis Suarez, who got angry after being substituted,” the defender continued.

“Let’s say that he has friendly relationships with some players and more professional ones with others. It seems as though he gets on well with everyone but he’s not the best in this sense.

“Is Simeone capable of getting in fights with players? In a certain sense. But he’s not one of the best that I’ve worked with in that sense [of personal relationships].

“Tite is great at that. He makes sure everyone feels important and his ability to talk to players is exceptional.

“[Simeone] believes in what he does. All 11 players have to work hard. He can change tactics halfway through a game and adapt very well to the opponent.

“Sometimes, I’d have liked for us to have more of the ball but, what can I say? He’s the best coach out there for Atletico.”