Ahead of Champions League quarter-final, ManCity coach Pep Guardiola dispels some clichés about opponents Atletico – and announces ‘incredible’ tactics
For two coaches who have been shaping Europe’s football for over a decade, Pep Guardiola and Diego Simeone have met surprisingly rarely. In 2016, Simeone defeated Guardiola’s FC Bayern in the Champions League semi-finals with Atletico (1-0/1-2), and in 2012 lost 2-1 to Barça coach Guardiola in the league – that was it.
On Tuesday, however, when they face each other in the quarter-final first leg in Manchester from 9 p.m. onwards, opposites will once again attract: Guardiola’s passing and possession machinery on the one hand, Simeone’s intrepid squad on the other, who don’t give a hoot about passing and possession when in doubt.
So a clash of playing cultures? Not with Guardiola: “I’m not going to talk about this stupid discussion for a second,” the ManCity coach fended off on Monday when asked which style was the “right” one. “Everyone is trying to win the game. If they win, they are right, if we win, we are right. “
Guardiola sees Atletico “much more offensive than people think “
All in all, the Catalan seemed to want to dispel some Atletico clichés. “There is a misunderstanding about the way they play,” he reported after his video analysis. “It is much more offensive than people think.” While the reigning Spanish champions avoid taking risks through the centre in the build-up, “they have a lot of quality in the final third. “
And the “ugly” side of Atletico, the aggressive, theatrical, not always sporting, that is firmly part of Simeone’s football? “We do the same thing,” Guardiola claimed: “We defend our position.” He would not judge others. But “what does playing ugly mean? My team won at Old Trafford and Bernardo Silva spent five minutes at the corner flag. That’s not ugly. It’s defending your position.”
He countered the recurring debate that Guardiola likes to want too much tactically, especially in the Champions League, and thus gets in the way of his team, with sarcasm before the quarter-final: “It would be boring if I always played the same way. That’s why I think too much and come up with stupid tactics. Tomorrow I’ll use an unbelievable one: We’ll play with twelve players!”