Pep Guardiola twice criticized previous clichés on Monday throughout Manchester Metropolis’s press convention forward of Tuesday night time’s Champions League quarter-final first leg with Atletico Madrid. At first, he was cynical when the acquainted accusation of “overthinking concerning the huge video games” was fired at him: “Within the Champions League, I at all times suppose loads… I at all times provide you with new techniques and concepts, and tomorrow you will notice a brand new one… We are going to play with 12 males.
Then, he turned dismissive when requested about one other demanding subject: the inconsistency of fashion between him and Diego Simeone, the president of Atletico, whose groups have been labeled defensive, unscrupulous and on the ethical fringe of the game.
“There’s a false impression, a mistake, about the best way [Simeone] He stated “It is extra offensive than individuals suppose…I will not discuss for a second about this silly debate. Everyone seems to be making an attempt to win the sport. In the event that they win, they’re proper. If we win, we’re proper.”
In fact, Guardiola is true on each counts. The accusation of “over-thinking” didn’t come out of nowhere – his critics would increase Yaya Toure’s dropping in opposition to Monaco in 2016-17, posting Aymeric Laporte as left-back in opposition to Liverpool in 2017-18, leaving Kevin De Bruyne dealing with Tottenham in 2018-19, turning To a few defensive midfielders with two midfielders in opposition to Lyon in 2019-20 and even going with no defensive midfielder in final yr’s last in opposition to Chelsea – however you additionally want to look at it in context. He does not try this as a result of he is on a tactical flight on his ego; He does this to achieve a bonus, usually in opposition to weaker opponents who’ve spent their sport prep finding out each side of the town and the best way to neutralize them.
When it really works – like turning Oleksandr Zinchenko from No.10 into left-back, flipping Bernardo Silva from winger to midfielder (and generally a striker) or displaying the world the flexibility to win the Premier League with out being acknowledged. The ‘conventional’ quarterback – we’re not accusing him of being overthinking, proper?
Likewise, portraying Atletico as purely defensive, ugly, and ugly by any means vital, can also be considerably tiring. Anybody who has watched La Liga over the previous yr or so could have seen Simeone try and separate Atleti from his “Cholista” roots in an effort to play extra proactive attacking soccer. He is doodled and experimented to get the steadiness proper; They did not at all times work out, and generally they went again to writing, however StatsBomb’s information put them within the high 5 for photographs, xG no penalty and their disciplinary report mid-table.
The times when this aspect was determined by Diego Godin snarled, Diego Costa’s elbow and Raul Garcia’s header are lengthy gone as you’d count on from a group that has Joao Felix up entrance.
Nonetheless, here is the factor about cliches: they usually comprise greater than a kernel of fact. Tuesday night time’s match on the WWE noticed two managers play based on their stereotypes, as in the event that they had been skilled wrestlers bent on sticking to an easy-to-understand and accessible kevabe.
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Guardiola overthinking? It is not a lot that with Joao Cancelo compelled to play on the precise because of Kyle Walker’s suspension, Nathan Ake – who has been extra of a middle again all through his profession – at left-back fairly than Zinchenko, selected Metropolis’s first selection. The previous few seasons. This can be because of the truth that Zinchenko, who has been off the bench, hasn’t began a sport in practically a month, and understandably could also be saddled with the horrors unfolding in his native Ukraine.
The choice was extra to depart Phil Foden on the bench, transfer Bernardo Silva up entrance and stick Ilkay Gundogan in midfield. This isn’t one thing you’d count on at dwelling from a deep group that leaves you in possession like Atletico. However the place the scheme was adopted religiously, and the cliches convincingly confirmed, was how the sport developed and every director lived as much as the stereotype.
Simeone’s aspect sat deep in a 5-3-2 formation with 5 defenders, three midfielders and two rebounding forwards who spent a lot of the match as assistant backs. They did not make a single aim try all through the match. Guardiola’s males had 71% of the ball and whereas they ended up with 15 photographs, most had been hitters and soar speculators and solely two had been on the right track, which is why Jan Oblak solely needed to save the ball as soon as. It wasn’t a very sloppy match, however in the long run, Atleti appeared to wish to dwell as much as the picture of a “cartoon villain”: Rodrigo de Paul and Matthews Cunha clashed with Ederson, whereas Syme Vrsaljko fired a shot off susceptible Jack Grealish and later flirted with him.
All that is considerably ironic, however mainly it is not surprising.
The groups play to their strengths. Metropolis passes the ball, strikes and shortly recovers the ball after shedding (which they do not do actually because they hardly ever lose the ball). Atlético – as a lot as they want to be extra various – they’re finally courageous in protection and organisation. Each had been actually efficient at what they do, and what we bought was one thing constant that trumps unstoppable power for a lot of the match. Or assault versus protection, as most of them anticipated.
When this occurs, there are 3 ways to interrupt the impasse: a defensive blunder, an arbitration blunder or some ill-considered particular person intelligence. In the long run, it was the latter who turned the sport round, due to Phil Foden, who performed as an alternative and summoned that assist to De Bruyne.
It is knockout soccer. You count on the groups to play their power, and that is precisely what Simeone and Guardiola did. And after they undertake utterly opposing sport plans and are (largely) flawless, that is what you get: resolving deadlocks within the blink of a watch.
Generally it is good to be precisely what different individuals suppose. Generally it is good to be your self.
