Simeone's three keys which unlocked Barcelona

Not long ago, Diego Simeone was beginning to be doubted after a poor run of form saw Atletico Madrid fall out of the Champions League spots in LaLiga Santander, yet his tactical decisions against Barcelona in the Supercopa de Espana on Thursday silenced any such sentiments.

Even with Barcelona dominating the first period of the game, Simeone was able to mastermind his side to a surprise victory, with three particular moves proving key.

High pressure, calmness and courage to play

It all began with the half-time team talk as Atletico had been chasing shadows for the first 45 minutes.

The coach demanded his players to remain calm as their game plan was a long-term one which demanded a lot of chasing and defending.

The next advice was to pressure with more intensity and higher up as they had been sitting back and allowing Barcelona to attack, followed by the final message which was to go out and play.

Koke's leadership and the reaction to his injury recurrence

Simeone knew that Koke might not have been able to endure the full 90 minutes after three weeks of injury, but his leadership and tactical intelligence was essential.

What he did not expect was that the captain would have to leave the field after just 25 minutes. Far from falling apart, he read the game masterfully.

Cholo used it as an opportunity to more offensively, using Vitolo more out wide, and moving Angel Correa to his preferred central striking spot. The former won the penalty for 2-2 and the latter scored the winner.

Pure passion

Leading by example, Simeone took off his jacked in the latter stages and began to signal instructions in just about every action of the game.

This passion rubbed off onto the players who, slowly but surely, began to believe in an unlikely comeback.