Madrid, Mar 17 (BUS): With their good defense looking dominant again, Atletico Madrid are back in the Champions League quarter-finals and are in a position to win the Champions League again.
Atletico’s strong defense has taken the team to a string of successes under coach Diego Simeone, including two Champions League finals, but it has struggled recently and suddenly became one of the team’s weaknesses, Associated Press reports.
The Spanish club has signed some of the best players to strengthen its attack and the team has become more offensive. With players like Luis Suarez, Antoine Griezmann and Joao Felix in the squad, Simeone has begun experimenting with formations that are more focused on attack than defense.
There was a price to pay, and for the first time in many years Atletico fell to the top of the list of the best defenses in La Liga, sitting fourth with 10 rounds to go after winning the title. Last season.
Atletico’s 36 goals in 28 games this season is the worst among the top eight teams in the league, and poor defense has also been blamed in part for the team’s elimination in the Copa del Rey and the Spanish Super Cup.
Heading into the second leg against Manchester United and Cristiano Ronaldo on Tuesday, a good defensive performance was crucial, and Atletico achieved it in a 1-0 win that sent the Spanish club back to the Champions League quarter-finals for a sixth time. In nine seasons – and the first since 2020.
“We worked hard defensively,” said Griezmann, who set up the winning goal for Renan Lodi in the 41st minute at Old Trafford. “We have to keep doing that. We have seen a very strong and very solid Atletico team.”
The two teams tied 1-1 in the first leg in Madrid, when Atletico dominated the attack but allowed a late draw after a defensive attack.
Prior to Tuesday’s match, Atlético had only two clean sheets in their last 12 matches in all competitions, conceding 19 goals in that round.
“It has been an erratic season for us,” said midfielder Koke Resource. “Sometimes things don’t go your way, but little by little we are able to start doing things well again.”
Atlético added Mozambican defender Renildo Mandava to the team in the winter transfer window, and he played a lot in a defense line that constantly changed his formations. The central defenders were Jose Maria Gimenez and Stefan Savic, with Lodi working with more freedom at times.
Renildo, Jimenez and Savic did a great job containing Ronaldo and United’s attack on Tuesday, and goalkeeper Jan Oblak played well behind them and was one of the best players at Old Trafford. Atlético has helped keep their 42 Champions League clean sheets since the start of the 2013-14 season – more than any other team during that time.
Atlético lost the title to Ronaldo and Real Madrid in 2014 and 2016 and were eliminated by them in the semi-finals of 2017 and quarter-finals of 2015.
“The defense was fantastic and Oblak helped us keep our cool the whole time,” said Simeone, who seemed happy to see his team thrive in defense once again.
“It’s exciting to see a team that can play competitively, and are not shy about playing everything in defense sometimes,” he said.