Since the draw yielded a Manchester City-Atlético for the quarterfinals of the Champions League, the debate has been opened again. Guardiola’s style of play against Simeone’s, in the antipodes in their approaches and football tastes.
The rojiblanco team showed its most withdrawn version at the Etihad Stadium, coming to place two lines of five between a defense and a very populated midfield, practically without any reference above. Guardiola left a sentence at the end of the match that does not seem to have sat well in the Atlético dressing room.
@Koke6
“We sensed that they would play 5-3-2 and we have gone out three or four times on the sides. Then they adjusted and put Griezmann on the far right and João on the left and they went five-five. With two lines of five. In prehistory, today and in 100,000 years attacking against five and five is very difficult. There’s no space. They are very competitive and defend very well”, explained the coach from Sampedor.
Koke, captain of Atlético, responded on social networks. The Vallecano published an Instagram story with the club’s shield prior to its aesthetic modification in 2017 with the message: “In love with your story since prehistory. Proud to be from Atleti”. A way to warm up the second leg, where the mattress team welcomes the Wanda Metropolitano and its fans to try to come back.