Diego Simeone lifted the lid on Atletico Madrid’s tactics following the side’s Champions League victory over Manchester United, revealing how his side perfectly executed a game-plan to expose their opponents’ high press.
United entered Tuesday’s clash in desperate need of a morale-boosting performance after going four matches without a win, but it was anything but for Michael Carrick’s beleaguered Red Devils.
Inside only a minute, the visitors were sliced open far too easily by a through ball over the top to Alex Baena, whose pass across the box was squeezed home by Pablo Barios.
Atleti looked to have doubled their lead in the dying moments of the first half through Johnny Cardoso, only for the goal to be disallowed for handball in the build-up.
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However, Leny Yoro was sent off for hauling down Jonathan David midway through the second half and the hosts capitalised on their man advantage just five minutes later as Ademola Lookman scored on the rebound to make it 2-0 and send the Metropolitano Stadium into raptures.
The result has ratcheted up the pressure on Carrick ahead of United’s trip to bitter rivals Leeds this weekend – and Lisandro Martinez’s explosive post-match attack on the club’s hierarchy has done little to dampen feelings of an early-season crisis at Old Trafford.
Atleti, meanwhile, appear to be riding a wave of confidence after an impressive run of five straight wins in all competitions since their opening Champions League defeat at Liverpool last month, and Simeone could not hide his delight regarding his team’s performance on the night.
Facing the media shortly after the final whistle, the Argentine detailed how his side were able to ‘hurt’ United out wide when beating their opponents on the first press.
‘We were fortunate to start the game on the front foot, with the first goal. It was a nice move,’ the Atleti head coach told reporters.
‘We knew they would press high, they do that well, but we knew that if we beat that first press we could get into important positions. We knew we could hurt them on the wings.
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‘We had chances to go further ahead on the scoreboard.
‘They had one dangerous chance in the first half, but we had a better game, we had more chances.
‘The team was always looking for more.’
There were jeers once again for Julian Alvarez when the Atleti striker was taken off in the 71st minute.
It comes on the back of a drawn-out transfer saga involving Alvarez and Barcelona in the summer, in which Atleti stood in the way of the forward’s dream move to the Camp Nou.
‘What the fans do is related to what the players give,’ Simeone replied when asked about the fans’ reception for Alvarez.
‘They want to see the best of the players, and Julian is giving that. He had the chance to score today.
‘He’s getting closer to the player we want to see. We need him.’
Simeone reserved special praise for Atleti midfielder Cardoso, who has started the season in fine form after undergoing ankle surgery in the summer.
‘He’s in a very good moment,’ Simeone said of Cardoso.
‘In our match against Real Sociedad, he came on, and he began to play at a high level.
‘We need that player, that’s the player the club went to sign.’
Despite their defeat, United remain above Atleti on goal difference in the overall Champions League standings following a thumping 4-0 victory over Sabah in their opening contest.
The Red Devils resume their European campaign in a week’s time with a trip to Italy to lock horns with Cesc Fabregas’ Como.
Atleti, meanwhile, will look to pick up where they left off when they travel to Germany to take on Stuttgart.
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