I don't understand Simeone's game plan at all. Within reason, Atletico needed a single goal. Now, I understand Juventus came out flying and pressing, but it's nothing they haven't seen before. There was no adjustment. Outside of a spell at the end of the first half, Atletico couldn't string three passes together. Even after the last goal, they never switched on. Stupid fouls allowed Juventus to milk the clock (a certain irony in seeing Atletico players frustrated by the tactic...).
I didn't understand the game plan at all, either. As you say, maybe Simeone thought he could withstand the early pressure and then go for it...but Atletico never went for it. While Juventus played a spectacular match, Atletico played defensively the whole time and never really showed interest in going for the game.
This is probably a
@bosox4283 question - does Koke usually play at wide right midfielder in the 4-4-2 setup? Or similar to Juanfran moving to LB, was he there to give Lemar his preferred position in the team? It never seemed like Koke / Arias were totally comfortable on that side, figured it was more a case of unfamiliarity than anything.
Yeah, and most of all it stood out because of how rarely you see someone on Atlético make a mistake like that. Never in a million years would you have seen Costa or Torres holding up the ball by pushing it backwards into a danger area.
Yesterday's match was pretty much the embodiment of everything my Chelsea-supporting cousin couldn't stand about Morata. Poor off-ball play, mediocre work rate, making some ok runs in the limited advanced opportunities Atlético had, but no end product on the chance that would've probably killed the tie.
Koke often has the space to move freely, but he's more comfortable on the right and more familiar with Juanfran than with Arias. I agree that the move was to put Lemar on his preferred position since Koke is more adaptable. Hindsight is 20/20, but Vitolo starting instead of Lemar would have been preferred.
Agreed re: Costa and Torres. In a big match like this one, those two have the tactical skills and knowledge to match Juventus. Morata, while he's been in great form, is not on the same level.
I didn’t understand it either. I know Atletico are comfortable defensively and incredibly solid, but it just seemed overly defensive to me. They had very few stretches where they seemed to control the game.
Yes. Atletico needed a goal as soon as Juventus scored one; at 0-2, Atletico would still have needed a goal to advance and also would have forced Juventus to need four. The option was (a) hope and pray to maintain a the result at 0-1 or (b) go for a goal, even if it means conceding two to make it 1-3 (therefore forcing Juventus to need four).
Very fun match to watch. Congrats to
@SocrManiac and sorry to
@bosox4283 .
I'm curious to hear from
@bosox4283 on this, but I agree that Cholo got his tactics wrong on this one. If you know Juanfran is out of position and is going to be dealing with CR7, don't you protect him with a CB shading hard to his side or with Saul/Rodri? Another possibility - play your young excellent CBs (i.e. the faster and more comfortable at LB of Savic and Gimenez) at LB a la Vertonghen at LB. With Juve needing to come out aggressive yesterday, Thomas instead of Morata would've made a bit of sense. Let Lemar get higher while still helping in MF and giving the backline more protection while controlling the middle of the park a bit better. But hey, it's football, everyone's got an opinion.
Thomas was out due to yellow cards. I think this match showed how important he is to Simeone's system in terms of defending, controlling flow of match, and linking up with forwards. Plus, having Thomas in the middle allows both Koke and Saul to play more of their natural positions. Saul, in particular, isn't have a great season in part because Simeone knows he can play everywhere on the pitch.
Ultimately, Simeone tries to force players into his system, which is fine but it can backfire. Vitolo, Lemar, and Gelson Martins (who is now at loan at Monaco) are talented but Simeone's style ends up restricting their potential. Other players like Gaitain and Carrasco ended up leaving because they did not really buy into the idea of defending first, limiting playmaking, and sacrificing offense. Arda Turan, who clearly thrived under Simeone, also got sick of this system and style and wanted out.
On this current squad, Koke, Saul, Correa, Griezmann, and Costa buy into Simeone's methods; Thomas and Rodrigo, the holding/defensive midfielders, are built for those roles but also accept them. Simeone needs to evolve a bit or stop recruiting and asking for players that do not fit his style.
