Juventus completed a spectacular comeback against Atlético. In the first sixty minutes of the game, Juventus players executed Allegri’s masterplan to perfection, overwhelming Atlético with crosses and winning second balls. Simeone evened out the tables in a cagey final half hour in which both teams mostly nullified each other, but a late penalty allowed Ronaldo […]
Atlético deservedly won the first leg of their tie against Juventus by following the classic Simeone playbook: outstanding defensive organization, good attacking transitions, and a decisive set-piece game. Juventus did not create scoring chances and Allegri and his players did not react well – both tactically and emotionally – to Atlético’s superiority. Tactical analysis and […]
Isn’t this the best time of the year? The winter cold slowly fades away, to be replaced by the thin and hopeful sunlight of early spring. Club football enters its decisive phase, with lots to play for in every competition. After a set of very enjoyable Champions league ties last week and a double goalless […]
El Derbi Madrileño was characterized by a gargantuan number of fouls, plenty of yellow cards, and a minimal amount of chances. While that sort of environment has favored Atlético Madrid in past encounters, this time around, it was Real Madrid who showed greater ruthlessness in front of goal and emerged victorious. Tactical analysis by Om […]
It could have been worse, this game. Much worse. While Sevilla against Atlético could have been a battle to give the ball away to your opponent, the game developed into a battle between two teams who both had a dominant half. Both in their own style. Nice to watch. Tactical analysis and match report by […]
Ernesto Valverde revisited last season’s 4-3-1-2 midfield diamond with four central midfielders, but it was not enough to create good chances against a solid Atlético wall. Diego Costa ended his goal scoring drought amidst a (yet again) dysfunctional Atlético offense, but Dembélé saved the day for Barcelona in the last minute. Tactical analysis by José […]
An injured Diego Godín scored an injury time header to complete Atlético’s comeback against Athletic Club. Do not be fooled by the result of this game, neither of these teams had a well-defined offensive game, but at least advantage was taken of the few big chances at hand. Atlético is a strange case to talk […]
Atlético Madrid controlled the game from beginning to end and relied on their defenders to make the difference up front. Real Sociedad tried to respond with counter-attacks and their own spells of possession on numerous occasions, but their weak attack consistently came up short against Atlético’s solid defensive structure. Diego Simeone’s men hosted Real Sociedad […]
It turns out Borussia Dortmund can score just fine without their scorching hot striker, Paco Alcácer. Lucien Favre’s decision to start Marco Reus as a defensive number ten behind Mario Götze disrupted Atletico’s buildup. Dortmund’s wing speed more than negated Diego Simeone’s fullback tactics, as Achraf Hakimi put in a man of the match performance […]
After a close, uneventful first half, Villarreal shifted from a 4-2-3-1 to a 4-4-2 scheme and dominated an Atlético who still struggled to find good offensive mechanisms. The saves of Jan Oblak were vital to prevent a Villarreal victory. Villarreal came into this match as the biggest expected goal underperformers in LaLiga, with only 6 […]