Koeman vs. Simeone: A battle that could decide the La Liga title race

If there's anything that stands out about Ronald Koeman and Diego Pablo Simeone, it's their character. They don't give up in any circumstances. You can like or dislike their ideas surrounding football, but they never hide when it comes to showing their face and offering expectations. On Saturday, they meet in a crucial game which will have huge implications for their respective teams' seasons.

Simeone's Atletico travel to Camp Nou for the 34th game of the season with a two-point lead over Barça. The normal scenario would see them come for a point, with anything else seen as a bonus, but that comes with added danger this time. That's because if they draw with Barça and Real Madrid beat Sevilla on Sunday, they will be tied at the top on 77 points. But it's Real Madrid who have the better head-to-head record. And with just three games to go...

Returning to the two coaches involved in Barça-Atletico, they will have a lot to say in the spectacle we see. While it's true that at Atletico, 'Cholo' is the star above any player but at Barça, the star is Lionel Messi (in fact, Simeone earns more than any player, while Koeman's salary is less than a lot of the members of the Barça squad).

Despite the fact Koeman's seven years older than Simeone (58-51), they've coached a similar number of games. Koeman 724 and Simeone 712. Both dragged out their careers as players for as long as they could, one a centre-back and the other a tough defensive midfielder, they were both captains, leaders. The Argentine school, from the street, individual talent, rogue, against the Dutch school, the idea of total football, team play, aesthetics.

Until January, more or less, Atletico were an almost flawless machine. Things changed in February. A 2-2 draw against Celta Vigo at the Metropolitano was perhaps the detonant. The team lost its consistency, its freshness... Atletico started to drop points and that generated doubts in the dressing room, while also giving wings to their rivals.

For example, Barça were almost ready to throw in the towel in December. "La Liga is very difficult, let's not lie. There's a big gap and Atletico aren't slipping up," Koeman said five months ago. How much things have changed! Cholo's game-by-game message has never changed but he's been criticised by the press after dropping so many points. "I hope we reach the final five games of such a tough league with a chance..." he said.

Koeman's had to do a lot of travelling to land the job at the team of his life. Eternally linked to Barça because of his winning goal in their first European Cup success at Wembley, he commands respect from supporters. But that doesn't take away from his journey as a coach. Success in his homeland, tough times in Valencia, a good job with the Dutch national team...

Sometimes accused of being defensive and results-based, Koeman's squeezing everything he can out of his experience on the Camp Nou bench. On the other side, Simeone is the guru of the Atletico family. He alone was capable of changing the mentality of an entire club that is historically pessimistic. He's the chief at Atletico until he decides otherwise.

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