Atletico Madrid secured their progress to the Champions League final with a superb 3-1 win away to Chelsea on Wednesday night. It was about as comprehensive an away victory as could be expected at this stage of the competition and one that provided further confirmation that both this Atletico side and their coach Diego Simeone are the real deal. Atletico's displayed in front of the whole world how good they really are.
What Atletico has achieved this season is little short of incredible. With a budget that is dwarfed by those of both their domestic and the majority of their continental rivals, Atletico are just two wins away from winning La Liga and have made it through to the final of the Champions League. Atletico are not even in the top 15 net transfer spent in the last 5 years.
Credit has to be given to the players, but it is clear that the architect of the clubs success, the man who inspires such fidelity, who has fostered the togetherness that has been such a key part of what they have achieved, is Simeone.
"Simeone's mere presence on the touchline motivates us," midfielder Tiago Mendes recently told The Guardian's Sid Lowe. "Seeing the way he lives every minute reaches you; what he transmits to us on the pitch is incredible."
Simeone is clearly a gifted leader and motivator from the touchline, yet on Wendensday night at Stamford Bridge he was much, much more than that. He made some tactical decisions during the match as well as picking the best possible starting 11 to defeat Chelsea at the Bridge. The first was the surprise selection of Adrian Lopez in place of Raul Garcia. Raul Garcia, who started the first leg was dropped from the starting 11 and the ever improving Adrian yet again showed how effective he is.
Likewise, Arda Turan, who was always expected to start after recovering from injury, but whose inclusion nevertheless limited David Villa and Diego Ribas to the substitutes bench. He was bright throughout and scored Atletico's third goal, reacting quickly to tap home the rebound from his own header against the crossbar. His intricate passing sequences and composure on the ball was very notable.
Most impressive, however, was the way in which a slight tactical tweak at half-time, in alliance with Simeone's conviction, saw Atletico take control of the match in the second half.
Koke had spent the first half exchanging flanks with Turan, but was pulled into a central midfield three for the second half, with Adrian, then the substitute Raul Garcia, patrolling the right flank and Turan permanently stationed on the left. He saw more of the ball in his new role, completing 36 passes, in comparison to 19 in the first half, and helped his side establish control of the match. This change, gave Atletico complete control of the game; and was some of the best football we've ever seen them play this season. Quick passing, one two's, flair, playing with style as well as composure this Atletico side showed that they can be just as strong on the ball as off.
Diego Costa, who was kept quiet by the Chelsea defense in the first half, was the man who provided the tangible end product, going down inside the area under a challenge from Samuel Eto'o before dusting himself off and converting from the penalty spot. After the penalty, there was little doubt that Atletico would be joining city rivals Real Madrid in the final. From the remaining time in the match Atletico was passing through Chelsea like practice dummies. It was a possession based tranning exercise for Atletico for the remaining of the match who put on a clinic.
Diego Simeone has crafted a team in his own image: strong, intense, hard-working and tactically astute and efficient. Atletico have answers for most questions opposition sides ask of them and if the quarter-final victory over Barcelona did not provide sufficient evidence of their excellence, Wednesday's win certainly did.
For Simeone, it was also an opportunity to show he could hang with and beat the best. On the back of a season like this, he is certain to be one of the most sought-after coaches in Europe this summer.
Mourinho and his players have been criticized heavily since, accused of parking the bus to get one over on their rivals. It’s a criticism that has been wide off the mark. Sure, there was a defensive ethic to Chelsea’s Anfield performance, but it was one that came with the intent to capitalize on Liverpool’s errors and to punish them at certain times in the game. It worked masterfully, exactly how Mourinho would have liked.
On Wednesday Simeone did the same. However Simeone's defensive style had much more purpose in attack and they still could control the game and counter attack at the same time. Atletico's performance was one worthy of reaching a Champions League final. Simeone’s players not only battled for everything—their endeavors eventually giving them the reward they deserved—they showed their class as a team and as individuals.
When Torres scored his opener on 36 minutes, it seemed nothing was going to stop the Chelsea train from rolling on. I from the thought Atletico were going to win the tie had a very edgy feeling that Chelsea might just be able to sneak out a win.
The goal wasn’t the turning point, though. That came just eight minutes later when Adrian fired home the equalizer right on half time. It was a killer blow that deflated Chelsea and they never recovered. Had the Blues held out for the break, it would have been a different story.
Instead, it was Simeone’s game plan that was getting the better of Mourinho’s.
From that moment, there was only going to be one winner. Adrian’s goal meant Chelsea were no longer in a position to bide their time. With away goals counting for so much at this stage, the tie was out of their hands and the Blues needed to get their noses back in front. Chelsea was now in the position where they had to come out of their comfort zone of playing extremely defensive and start trying to take initiative in the game. The decision by Mourinho to play 5 defenders from the start really was suicidal. The decision to not play Oscar meant that there was no flow for Chelsea going through the midfield. The midfielders could not link up on a consistent basis with front players, making there attack very slow and predictable.
When Chelsea then needed to start going forward, with that intent came the gaps Simeone and his players had planned for. And just like Chelsea at Anfield, they ruthlessly punished their opponents.
It's one thing defending as a unit, but quite another to expose a wounded opponent. Atletico showed they are the real experts.
It’s on nights like these that remind us of why Atletico lead the way in La Liga. Nights where, regardless of the opponent, they grind out victories in the same way Chelsea have become known for. Critics may lament their style, but let that be their problem. This Atletico team is going to the places Mourinho hopes to take Chelsea.
MOTM: Koke: Taking all set pieces was generally Atletico's best attacking player throughout the whole match. He touched the ball more than anyone else and was generally involved in everything Atletico created going forward. Was a pleasure to watch.
9/10
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