Soccer has an infatuation for the dramatic, and a bent for exaggeration, but not one of the claims of cruelty, agony, and different fatalistic phrases had been met with any derision after Atletico Madrid exited the Champions League on Wednesday night time. To their most bitter rivals, for the sixth time in succession, with one in all their penalties being disallowed.
No matter what you considered Diego Simeone’s theatrical makes an attempt to boost the followers from silence one ultimate time, in mutual appreciation between crushed heroes and a defeated help, you must admire his presence of thoughts to not sink into comparable despair. The very fact is, when the sport completed, there have been little lower than 4 days separated from one other recreation that might be branded ‘season-defining’, and extra so now.
“It’s at all times troublesome isn’t it, when you’ve the likelihood to show the tie round at house towards your direct rival, and also you don’t do it. It’s going to be troublesome to tune the workforce up. It’s been two troublesome video games [against Real Madrid and Getafe], however he should choose them up and focus their minds,” says Albert ‘Chapi’ Ferrer, Barcelona legend, a supervisor in his personal proper, and now one of many sharpest minds in soccer’s at occasions blunt tv protection.
🚨 Jan Oblak: “What occurred the opposite day is one thing the place you’ll want to have actually dangerous luck, and the opposite workforce must have actually good luck. That’s how I’m explaining it to myself. One thing occurred that has in all probability occurred only a few occasions or possibly by no means earlier than, I don’t… pic.twitter.com/0ArIiQnXBT
— Atletico Universe (@atletiuniverse) March 14, 2025
“As a supervisor, you must be the chief, to attempt to make the workforce suppose positively once more. It’s troublesome, and naturally, within the dressing room there are clearly leaders too, whose duty it’s to cheer the workforce up and make them imagine once more.”
The query is how? The considerably drained interrogations of whether or not Simeone needs to be extra valiant, of this alteration and that call on the pitch are already in an ether, as a result of if Simeone can’t discover a method get better that focus and stability of the thoughts on Sunday, Atletico might be taking part in towards extra than simply Barcelona on Sunday night time.
“When you take a look at the tip of the sport, when Simeone was going around the pitch on this type of lap of honour, so the supervisor was the one to cheer the gamers and supporters up, and to mainly be with the workforce.”
“Figuring out the supervisor, figuring out Atletico,” says Ferrer, who has seen them in motion all through Simeone’s time as a participant and supervisor, “the historical past of the membership, how robust they’re and the way aggressive, it’s not going to be an issue, and they are going to be 100% targeted on Sunday.”
Even when Simeone can separate Sunday from circumstance, going through him is arguably the shape facet in Europe, coming off the again of a 17-game unbeaten run and a way more tranquil Tuesday victory over Benfica. Barcelona don’t simply look cohesive as a unit beneath Hansi Flick, most gamers have proven one thing like the perfect soccer of their profession this season. Regardless of their ‘suicidal’ excessive line, the Blaugrana have lived higher on the sting than they’ve in a few years with extra room for error.
“On Sunday, Atletico can have extra alternatives to harm Barcelona, if it’s attacking the offside line, in transitions, it’s going to be a special recreation,” causes Ferrer although. There’s an argument, definitely backed by outcomes and Ferrer, that this recreation fits Atletico way more. Los Rojiblancos have scored six occasions in two video games towards Barcelona, and are the one facet to have confronted Flick’s version with out struggling defeat.
“Barcelona as a workforce are so, so offensive, they’re mainly trying to play only one method, they don’t produce other plans, so they’re offensive, aggressive, they push and have the line of defense very excessive. The large distinction for Atletico Madrid that they may face on Sunday is that they may have areas all recreation.” Even when getting the recipe proper is not any laborious, the steps are a little bit extra simple explains the five-time La Liga champion.
“Actual Madrid are a workforce that don’t have any drawback dropping again, to depart no areas for Atletico to run into. So it’s extra difficult than towards Barcelona. Towards Barcelona it’s troublesome, as a result of they’re a steady risk principally offensively.”
Only a level separates the 2 sides on the summit of La Liga, with Actual Madrid wedged between them in second. Barcelona have a recreation in hand although, and there may be definitely a priority that whereas a loss on the Metropolitano won’t be deadly to their title problem, it may very properly be on life help.
Pau Cubarsí: “Now the season begins, I might say, as a result of it is the important thing second, the place you danger every thing. We’ve to be 100%. We’re alive in every thing. We’ve to proceed like this. We’ve a very good dynamic, so we hope to proceed.” @mundodeportivo pic.twitter.com/pSKijcK7z1
— barcacentre (@barcacentre) March 15, 2025
“For Atletico Madrid, the very first thing is to ensure they don’t have the house to run into, and mainly the one method to do this is to drop deeper. The few occasions that Barcelona have struggled this season has been with groups doing precisely that: dropping a bit deeper and attacking on the counter. In order that’s what I count on from Atletico.”
The Catalan giants have been way more profitable with Flick’s jolting defensive method this season. At first, the knowledge of any radical change is doubted, however having largely calmed the offence prompted on the idea itself, the subsequent suppose items wonder if a much less absolutist concept would possibly make extra sense for everybody. And in equity, it was questioned by Flick’s chief engineer after the final assembly between the 2.
“I bear in mind the sport, the primary tie within the Copa del Rey, Pedri stated one thing within the post-game interview. ‘We have to be taught from that. We had been forward within the tie, so we are able to’t preserve urgent, preserve going excessive, preserve being uncovered. We simply should be aware of it’. Presumably he meant by not having the line of defense so excessive, and defending extra.”
The panting Pedri echoed, or maybe directed, a number of the accusations towards Barcelona within the aftermath of that 4-4 thriller. Flick stated lower than an hour after the sport had completed that he was pleased with 95% of their efficiency although, and Ferrer sees no signal of the German instructing his males to offer themselves an additional yard, regardless of Atletico’s success at getting in behind.
“I’m undecided that the supervisor shares these phrases although. I haven’t seen a recreation but this season the place Barcelona modified techniques, by way of being forward within the scoresheet, and within the final 20 minutes and simply drop. So I don’t suppose he’s going to.”
“I believe it’s extra like after I was a participant and we had Johan Cruyff, he stated ‘hear, in the event that they rating three objectives, we have to rating 4. It’s so simple as that.’ So I believe that’s the method.”
Cruyff at Barcelona was maybe the closest approximation to a spiritual prophet in soccer, and whereas the tenets of his philosophy have set the blueprint for a number of of Barcelona’s most profitable intervals of their historical past. At others, the model debate these blueprints appeared to entice managers although.
“The historical past of Barcelona reveals us that the DNA is kind of the identical,” Ferrer prefaces. “With Cruyff, Guardiola, even Luis Enrique, Xavi or Flick. Barcelona are a dominant workforce, and they’re going to go on the pitch to dominate, and you are able to do it in several methods.”
An authority on the subject, Ferrer was within the C workforce when Cruyff returned to the membership as a supervisor, and spent six years beneath him within the first workforce, coming by way of the ranks with Guardiola at his facet.
“I believe that the play the workforce is exhibiting is much like Johan’s, much like Luis Enrique’s, however I believe with Pep, in his final stage at Barcelona, wished to dominate utterly, he wished to dominate with the ball. Flick is extra much like our time with Cruyff, with fast transitions and attacking the house.”
“It’s true that within the second half the season, with groups seeing how harmful they’re and with the house, we’ve seen groups have dropped a bit, and are defending a little bit deeper. In order that has led Barcelona to have a little bit bit extra possession, and to be rather less direct. In order that they’re having extra of the ball, and taking part in out, it’s a little slower, however the second they do have house, they go into it.”
Xavi Hernandez, who performed with Guardiola after which occupied the same directorial duties to Pedri in his magical four-year run as coach, was broadly anticipated execute the same revolution when he returned as supervisor himself. But the La Liga title victory he authored, by design or compromise, was arguably the furthest faraway from that model seen since Guardiola’s exit.
The talk that dogged Xavi has barely been talked about this 12 months although. There’s little doubt that Barcelona have been engaging to observe this 12 months, however is there a way that the passage from Xavi to Flick has widened the scope for what constitutes ‘the Barcelona model’ once more?
“It’s true that Barcelona have a philosophy they usually attempt to management video games, however I believe that proper now it’s not so necessary. When Barcelona received La Liga with Xavi, they defended very properly, and there have been a number of 1-0s, however no person stated something as a result of Barcelona wanted to win La Liga.”
“This season it’s the identical. Barcelona will not be taking part in just like the philosophy that they ‘needs to be taking part in’, having a number of possession and controlling video games, however I believe the target is profitable one thing, and individuals are pleased with profitable video games, so it doesn’t matter a lot this season.”
Watch Atlético de Madrid vs Barcelona on Sunday sixteenth March at 8pm on LALIGATV and ITV4. Displaying ‘All of LALIGA, Multi function place’, LALIGATV is out there completely within the UK through Premier Sports activities, from simply £7.99/month.