Champions League

[JamDav1982]

City absolutely dominated them and barely let them out their own half.

They set up defensively but would never have been planned to that extent. City were just far superior side yesterday and Atletico could barely lay a glove on them.

 

[FinBarcelonafan]

You've got to wonder why Cholo thinks he has an edge by virtue of the Wanda to try and force 0-0 away. I dont think City will be bothered by it.

He has more edge that way than trying to play football vs City. You can't beat City in their game. Atletico is playing to their strengths.

 

[JamDav1982]

His plan looked to be to try and frustrate them then take more pace on up top for last half hour.

They just could barely get ball away from City or past their press to do anything with it.

City kept composed and playing their game not panicking.

 

[Temptation]

You've got to wonder why Cholo thinks he has an edge by virtue of the Wanda to try and force 0-0 away. I dont think City will be bothered by it.

2 reasons:

Firstly the obvious passionate home support

Second, the longer the tie stays nil nil, the more nervous City will be. City aren't really known for their mentality in the UCL.

 

[te amo barca]

City absolutely dominated them and barely let them out their own half.

They set up defensively but would never have been planned to that extent. City were just far superior side yesterday and Atletico could barely lay a glove on them.

I don't know mate, those two banks of five without any players upfront to at least try holding the ball up to organize counters suggests that Atleti were ready to engage in terrorism from the start. They were basically just clearing the ball from the 15th minute or so. It's not like City were barraging them with chances like Pep's Bayern did in 2016, purely from that perspective this was a dull game.

City's counter-pressing was top-notch, and Atleti's impotence was exacerbated by the poor ball-playing capabilities of Savic and Felipe. It is clear their plan was to try counterattacking in quick transitions, but any time they got hold of the ball, city players just knicked it off them. Atleti had 2-3 promising attacks in the second half that were not capitalized on. Still, they were afraid to attack/counter in large numbers all game long. At Wanda, they will at least commit as they did against Liverpool.

They'll probably lose helplessly like they did last year against Chelsea, but Simeone would take a 1-0 at Etihad in the first leg any day of the week.

 

[JamDav1982]

Simeone has done that in big games for years when his two front players will drop to defend the midfielders.

Few times Atletico got ball the forwards were trying to get up park and on it.

Just couldnt keep ball or get it to front players.

If he wanted 10 defenders there a better platers suited to it than the front players he chose.

 

[El Gato]

Second, the longer the tie stays nil nil, the more nervous City will be. City aren't really known for their bottle in the UCL.

I've no idea how sentence one sets up what's in sentence two here
City aren't bottlers but certainly are the biggest CL underachievers out there

 

[Temptation]

I've no idea how sentence one sets up what's in sentence two here
City aren't bottlers but certainly are the biggest CL underachievers out there

I worded it wrong. I meant they are CL bottlers.😂

 

[JamDav1982]

More chance they give Atletico a scudding in Madrid than bottle it.

 

[te amo barca]

Simeone has done that in big games for years when his two front players will drop to defend the midfielders.

Few times Atletico got ball the forwards were trying to get up park and on it.

Just couldnt keep ball or get it to front players.

If he wanted 10 defenders there a better platers suited to it than the front players he chose.

He never defended this negatively to this degree. At least, he would always have a focal point in a CF (Falcao, Diego Costa, Torres, Suarez, etc.). Playing two second strikers in Griezmann and Felix that basically became RM and LM in defense, this is a new "low" even for him. You could see that the system changed when Cunha came on, he clearly became a CF even in the defensive phase.

I think Simeone is overcompensating for the defensive frailty of Atletico this season because their defense is just pure shit without Gimenez and Trippier. That Vrsaljko-Savic-Felipe-Reinildo link is worse than what sides even like Villarreal have.

They basically need to buy some good defenders, they're just shit.

 

[Temptation]

More chance they give Atletico a scudding in Madrid than bottle it.

Right. If the tie was nil nil in Madrid. I could see ATM somehow nicking the tie.

But now, whrn they'll try to get a goal back City will just pick them of

 

[Temptation]

He never defended this negatively to this degree. At least, he would always have a focal point in a CF (Falcao, Diego Costa, Torres, Suarez, etc.). Playing two second strikers in Griezmann and Felix that basically became RM and LM in defense, this is a new "low" even for him. You could see that the system changed when Cunha came on, he clearly became a CF even in the defensive phase.

I think Simeone is overcompensating for the defensive frailty of Atletico this season because their defense is just pure shit without Gimenez and Trippier. That Vrsaljko-Savic-Felipe-Reinildo link is worse than what sides even like Villarreal have.

They basically need to buy some good defenders, they're just shit.

Villareal's CB pair is solid. Great mix of youth and experience.

 

[JamDav1982]

He never defended this negatively to this degree. At least, he would always have a focal point in a CF (Falcao, Diego Costa, Torres, Suarez, etc.). Playing two second strikers in Griezmann and Felix that basically became RM and LM in defense, this is a new "low" even for him. You could see that the system changed when Cunha came on, he clearly became a CF even in the defensive phase.

I think Simeone is overcompensating for the defensive frailty of Atletico this season because their defense is just pure shit without Gimenez and Trippier. That Vrsaljko-Savic-Felipe-Reinildo link is worse than what sides even like Villarreal have.

They basically need to buy some good defenders, they're just shit.

Dont agree.

They were pinned back and did not set out to defend in that many numbers as often as ended up doing. If he wants that there are better defensive players than just about all attackers he played.

City were too good on ball and they couldnt get through them and when teams dominate ball Simeone almost always dropped players back like that.

They didnt set up to be that defensive. City just dominated them om the ball and didnt allow them to do much else.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dYpurKYFM90

Pause that on 1.00 and see their shape and how it changes when they cant keep ball.

This idea they set up to sit in two banks of 5 and never attack is not what Simeone had in mind.

 

[El Gato]

I think Simeone is overcompensating for the defensive frailty of Atletico this season because their defense is just pure shit without Gimenez and Trippier. That Vrsaljko-Savic-Felipe-Reinildo link is worse than what sides even like Villarreal have.

They basically need to buy some good defenders, they're just shit.

They've sort of fixed that since mid Feb and started recording clean sheets even

Not sure whether anyone should trust them keeping it up but hey, who knows
In CL you can always count on Pep overthinking too so if gets exasperated as he tends to, Atleti can do 'em

 

[te amo barca]

Dont agree.

They were pinned back and did not set out to defend in that many numbers as often as ended up doing. If he wants that there are better defensive players than just about all attackers he played.

City were too good on ball and they couldnt get through them and when teams dominate ball Simeone almost always dropped players back like that.

They didnt set up to be that defensive. City just dominated them om the ball and didnt allow them to do much else.

What are the better defensive players though? I don't get it. Correa is not fit after injury, Felix is their biggest attacking threat rn and Griezmann is obviously "the" defensive forward. It's clear to me he was set to defend because he did not start Cunha, did not play Llorente at RWB, instead preferring a half-retired Vrsaljko. Did not start Lemar, the more adventurous CM, as well.

Here is what Simeone says about the return leg: "We'll change how we play a little in the second half of this tie but it's all the same to them – City will play the same way. But with humility, and hard work, we'll compete. Then we'll just see where that takes us."