‘The other’ Madrid-based team have reached yet another Champions League final in four years. Whilst the usual financial giants continue to lurk around the top of every single league and international competition, Diego Simeone has busted down the door at the top of this elite club and intend to stay there. With an iconic style of play implemented by an increasingly iconic manager, Atlético Madrid‘s tactical brilliance has shown teams a different way to succeed in Europe.
Rather symbolically and certainly representative of the narrative, the team that has arisen from between the twin colossi in La Liga are the masters of exactly what Barcelona and Real Madrid hate; anti-expansive football. The majority of La Liga sides get torn to shreds because of their inability to stop Real Madrid and Barcelona from spreading their entire team across an expansive pitch.
This inevitability opens up large spaces for some of the world’s best and brightest to isolate players. ‘Los Colchoneros’ force the two historic Spanish clubs to try and attack a compact and organized defensive unit, overloading any side that they attempt to expose. The overload forces a cross or a switch; both options playing into the hands of the aerially dominant and structurally disciplined Atlético team.
What separates this team from most negative football disciples, however, is their ability to go forward when the ball is won. Players like Yannick Carrasco, Antoine Griezmann, and Fernando Torres have all been coached to relentlessly bring the ball forward with little to no support alongside. The tenacity of the forward push is reminiscent of José Mourinho’s tactical style when he was at Real Madrid.
Rather than waiting for other team-mates to catch up and help with uneven situations, the Atleti players burst forward at full speed knowing that their cohorts will be up to help them soon enough. It is this lightning fast rush that puts teams into odd defensive situations, and often time leads to a goal.
Obviously, this doesn’t always work, but the mere concept of the tactic mirrors the very mantra of Simeone’s team. Hard work and team unity are central themes within this unique side. Supporting each other as one entire unit in both defence and attack is what has made them so successful.
The team isn’t about the star players and how to balance them with others that will cover for their defensive or offensive shortcomings, it is about everyone giving their all for the sake of a common goal. Every player has bought into the manager’s ideals and is willing to work hard in order to succeed together; no one is bigger than the team. Diego Simeone let Arda Turan go last summer in concession with this very idea. Turan is a great player who is capable of dribbling past multiple opponents and create chances for other, but he didn’t buy into the team.
‘Los Rojiblancos‘ also maintain an emphasis on possession loss, both offensively and defensively. From an offensive standpoint, they make sure possession isn’t lost in the centre of the field because it tends to be the most dangerous area to give away possession.
The tactic of relentlessly pushing up the field when on a break is usually towards to edges of the pitch so that in case the player does lose possession the ball can be quickly kicked out of play and Atlético can regain their shape. From a defensive standpoint, they either hold their signature 4-4-2 shape in which they overload a side to force a cross or switch, or they press high and hard when they see opportunity.
Coaching a press is difficult in the sense that, in paraphrasing Jürgen Klopp, it is less of a set play and more of an instinct. An advantageous moment must be recognized by one player, then said player must initiate and have the confidence to assume that his team-mates will immediately support. It’s an incredibly risky tactic to pull off when a team isn’t fully capable of doing so; much like Liverpool this season.
If the opposition plays out of the press then one can find themselves conceding quite easily due to the fact that their players were taken out of the game by one or two passes, but if it is executed correctly the ball can be won in incredibly advantageous positions. Atlético are elite in executing a proper press, a perfect example being the Griezmann header against Barcelona in this year’s Champions League tie. Madrid won the ball back high up the pitch, and within five seconds and with two passes they had scored.
Simeone’s 4-4-2 also does a fantastic job of closing down space in the centre of the field, but this is more of an advantage of the natural tendencies of the formation’s attributes. Real Madrid and Barcelona are teams with players not only capable of exposing one from a wide position but also have players that are highly skilled in tight spaces. This concentration of defensively apt midfielders in a small space is another thing that frustrates these teams so much.
Ultimately however, Atlético Madrid have the ability to be similar to the mercurial sides of Europe’s elite—unbalanced and riddled with egomaniacs who hamper the growth and development of the team—yet they’re not. Simeone has formed this team of talented players into a well-oiled machine which doesn’t comprise for the sake of the team; a triumph of the super-ego rather than that of the id.
World class striker Antoine Griezmann has publicly stated that although the style of football they play may not be easy on the eyes, it’s still one that he’s proud to be a part of. When world class players who are wanted by just about every club in Europe are buying into a team ideal rather than one that focuses on themselves, you’re doing something right. Atlético seamlessly combines two of the most dangerous trends in the modern football landscape, pressing and counter-attacking, with a well-disciplined team mentality.
