So where exactly did Atletico get it right?
Their coach Diego Simeone who was himself a former Atletico player has managed to become a wizard at helping Atletico throughout the whole season, but he has also been able to play against the "rich clubs" and beat them at their own turf, a feat which very few teams have achieved this season.
I have seen numerous videos of Simeone shouting instructions to his players at all times of the game. He is content with even a 1-0 win just like Mourinho. Coaches of big teams normally go for the most goals but Simeone has a tendancy to play defensive as soon as his team get the first goal in order to preserve it and it is no surprise that they have got the best defensive record in the league but have scored the least goals. To thank for the is obviously their back four who work tirelessly throughout the match tirelessly. Diego Godin has had a superb season alongside Joao Miranda at the heart of the defence, Juanfran is a calm and experienced right back and Filipe is tireless on the left. In 5 games in all competitions against Atletico, Messi has not scored a single goal, a fact which can be surprising to many vieewers. In 10 Champions league games this season, Atletico have only conceded 5 times which has helped them to never loose a Champions league game this season.Its a similar situation to Chelsea who have conceded the least goals in the Premier league and the champions league. Atletico boast the likes of Diego Godin and Miranda in their ranks and in all honesty, are one of Europe's best center backs. Both of them have made a combined total of 365 clearances in the La Liga this season and 116 interceptions as per whoscored. Add Juanfran, Felipe Luis and Courtois in between the sticks and you have got the perfect defense anyone can dream of. Looking at the results they have managed this season, one can mostly see 1-0, 2-0 and 2-1 which goes on to prove that Simeone only wants the 3 points no matter what the scoreline is, again a thing everyone knows Mourinho is used to.
Simeone has managed to turn the Vicente Calderon into a fortress by not losing even a single game at home. Majestic teams such as Barcelona have failed at the Vicente Calderon proof being the Champions league semi finals. Real Madrid who boast the like of C.Ronaldo, Bale, Benzema and many more just managed to salvage a point at the dying moments of the game or they also would have been prey to Atletico rampant form. The most decorated team in Europe, A.C Milan were beaten 4-1 by a quite unstoppable side who showed that they are not underdogs in the Champions league by any means.
Atletico have only lost 3 away games in the league against Osasuna, Almeria and Espanyol. Osasuna were the only team to put 3 goals past them in one match. So in total, Atletico have only lost 3 games in the whole league.
Atleticos tactic which is a 4-2-2-2 formation provides them the defensive covering behind and gives them the attacking power at the same time. Boasting players such as David Villa and Diego Costa upfront, its no wonders that they get their goals whenever they need them. Atleticos formation allows them to control the game from the middle of the park which they have done ever so successfully with players like Gabi and Tiago providing the defensive midfield role while Koke and Turan playing the central midfield role. This allows the central midfielders to open up through the wings or for the left and right defenders to overlap and cross the ball in which we have seen the whole season. Atletico love playing the crossing game. Atletico boast the likes of Koke who has performed consistently this whole season and has created 57 key passes this season in the La Liga, get 13 assists which is the highest this season in the la liga and score 6 goals. All this at the tender age of 22. His ability to hold up play is indescribable
Atletico have managed to play well throughout the season despite having a limited squad which is rarely rotated. Fatigue at this point becomes a clear concern but not for Atletico surprisingly. This is because Atletico on many occasions play a solid defensive game and then press intelligently when the chance arrives. This allows them to somehow relax while defending when the opposition have the ball and then attack with full force when the chance arrives which in the end, helps them preserve their energy.
Another good thing to note is that Atletico take their chances shooting from outside the box as and when the chance arrives which has helped to many key victories this season notably the Real Madrid stunner from Koke.
Atletico dont boast the players who can take an opposition one on one and beat them at the center of the park but still manage to control possession in most of their games. This is according to me an advantage to them since the players individually know that they can only break up the oppositions defence by passing rather than individual skill and has also helped one of their players top the assist charts this season.
Whenever Atletico have played against a world class opposition, we always see that Atletico manage to score the first goal always and then immediately play a defensive game and loose the battle for possession. This again goes on to prove that Simeone doesnt care about the stats the game has to show but only goes after the win irrespective of how he has to do it.
With some amazing strikers such as Diego Costa and David Villa upfront, the goals will always come as soon as they are given the chance. Costa has the physical strength and composure infront of goal which has allowed him to notch 25 goals until this time and David Villa to get 13 goals which in total is 39 goals and is more than half of what Atletico have scored all season.
This article wouldnt have been fair if i didnt give credit to one of the key players at the club and that is their 21 year old, on-loan keeper from Chelsea Thibaut Courtois who by many has been called one of the best shot-stoppers in the world currently. Barcelonas coach hailed Courtois after the Champions league 1-1 draw at the Camp Nou saying that Atletico Madrid were still in the tie only because of Courtois. "He's one of the best goalkeepers in the world, there is no doubt about that" martino was quoted saying. This is Courtois third season on-loan at Atletico and in such a short time, he has managed to win alot. He has won the Europa league, Copa Del Rey and the Super cup already in his 3 seasons on-loan and is now challenging for the La-Liga and the Champions league. He had the most clean sheets last season at Atletico and is on course to repeat that feat this season with 17 clean sheets currently.
Simeone to me draws many similarities with Mourinho in terms of how they manage their teams. The teams defensive duties as their first priority and their content with even a 1-0 lead. For me, Simeone is a manager who i love now and he goes on to show you can win if only you have the passion.
All in all, even if Atletico fail to win the league cup this season, they are serious contenders in the following seasons and their transfer budget is set to rise after this seasons performance. With a coach like Diego Simeone leading them and players such as Costa, Villa and Courtois in their squad, they could be the first steps towards ending the Barca-Real Madrid domination of the La-Liga.
He has now led them to the Semi Finals of the Champions league and has not lost even a single game of this seasons champions league. This is the first time in 40 years that Atletico have reached the semis again and its all down to Simeone and CO.
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| Atletico madrids formation versus Real Madrid at the Bernabeau. |
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| Atletico's ever so successful team this season. |
Can they win it this season? Only time will tell but for the time being, they have most surely won the hearts of many football fans.
NOTE: The whole article is what i feel about Atletico season. Your views may differ but feel free to comment. Stats were taken from ESPN and Squawka.
Stats given are from the beginning of the season up until 10/4/14.
http://www.statto.com/football/teams/atletico-madrid
http://espnfc.com/team/stats/_/id/1068/league/esp.1/atletico-madrid?cc=3888
http://swol.co/an-indepth-look-at-how-atletico-madrid-shocked-real-madrid-at-the-bernabeu/30426
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