Pelted with drinks but Diego Simeone won’t care – that was a testament to his Atletico masterclass at Manchester United
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Updated 16/03/2022 at 09:29 GMT
Atletico Madrid were described as “bang average” by BT Sport pundit Owen Hargreaves at full-time. This is wide of the mark, it was the ideal performance away from home in the Champions League, and it is no mistake they are in Friday’s Champions League quarter-final draw while Manchester United are left licking their wounds.
'Time-wasting antics by Atletico. Ref made it easy' Rangnick
For those who haven’t watched Atletico Madrid much this season, this result will hardly have been surprising.
A dogged 1-0 win away from home, that’s very much the norm for a Diego Simeone side, isn’t it?
However, this one defied the many performances that have preceded it this season.
The Spanish champions have been far from their best this term, looking surprisingly leaky at times, but all at once it came together, with Manchester United succumbing to those wily ways at Old Trafford and exiting the Champions League.
Instead, it is Atletico Madrid who march on to the quarter-finals, with Jan Oblak looking back to his brilliant best after some inconsistent displays and the midfield trio of Hector Herrera, Koke and Rodrigo De Paul orchestrating the perfect away showing.
Owen Hargreaves called Atletico “bang average” at full-time on BT Sport, but that is wide of the mark – it was the ideal performance to qualify when your second leg is away from home and you’ve gone a goal up.
That was evident just after the final whistle as objects, including drinks, rained down on Simeone as he ran down the sideline and made his way to the dressing room. Reprehensible behaviour, yes, but that was also arguably the greatest compliment Simeone could have asked for. Another opposition frustrated, another set of supporters left devastated by his team’s brutal style.
United were largely praised for their first-half display, described as looking “really dangerous” by Paul Scholes at the break, but they were 1-0 down at that point, and though they had tested Oblak they had already been exposed once before Atletico scored their opener.
Some seven minutes after Joao Felix saw his effort chalked off for offside, another neat move resulted in Renan Lodi heading Atletico in front.
The focus was on potential fouls in the build-up and United’s defensive frailties, with Diogo Dalot left marking three players while Harry Maguire was out of position and Anthony Elanga was unable to get back in time, but credit must also go to Atletico for exploiting this on multiple occasions.
By half-time, Atletico had United exactly where they wanted them. And just to let the hosts know who would be in charge of the upcoming second half, Simeone’s side came out a few minutes later – no mistake.
An hour had not even passed by the time Atletico’s 3-5-2 was essentially a 5-4-1, with the defensive bank of five just 10 yards away from a cluster of four midfielders as Antoine Griezmann dropped back and Felix remained up front.
This midfield was content with sitting deep, reluctant to move past the midway point of their own half. Their pressing was relentless, their swarming of Cristiano Ronaldo deliberate, with Herrera playing the anchor role to near perfection, while De Paul and Koke were as threatening going forward as they were helpful at the back.
Add to that Griezmann assisting and making the most tackles of any player on the pitch come the 75-minute mark, plus Oblak showing those instinctive reactions that make him one of the world’s best, and you found yourself watching the Atletico of old – the side that won La Liga last year, the team that reached two Champions League finals, the club that have become so feared under Simeone.
So, never mind how they have fared to far this season, the uncharacteristic 36 league goals conceded, the Atletico here and now are unbeaten in six and go into Friday’s draw with a role they have long occupied – as the team no one really wants to face.
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