Pep Guardiola had wanted to minimize the opposition of styles. He actually got a caricature. The first leg of the Champions League quarter-final played on Tuesday evening between Manchester City and Atlético Madrid (1-0) came down to almost 90 minutes of attack and defense. The Citizens ended up winning 1-0 from a Foden opener for captain De Bruyne. A goal scored in the 70th minute but which did not really change the face of this duel.
The Spaniards had started the game in 5-3-2 with João Félix and Antoine Griezmann in front. Faced with the device concocted by Guardiola and the danger caused in particular by Cancelo on the right side, who brought the surplus, Diego Simeone replaced Félix on the left side. Griezmann then spent five minutes at the forefront of this 5-4-1 before also occupying a corridor… To therefore end up with these two lines of five. Radically unlikely.
“It was a difficult match against a strong opponent, who played 5-5-0. It was difficult to find spaces. We were patient, but we didn’t attack at the right pace. Fortunately, we scored. It’s a good result, we could have scored a second goal, but 1-0 or 2-0 doesn’t change much before going to Madrid,” said Pep Guardiola. Before returning to this ultra-defensive opposition. “In prehistory, today and in a hundred thousand years it is very difficult to attack a 5-5, there are no spaces. They are strong, we are small and light. It’s a question of patience. I told my players at half-time that we were fine”.
The deliverance arrived on a built game phase. Phil Foden, who entered a minute earlier, is found between the two lines by the metronome Rodri. He turns perfectly in a small perimeter between Griezmann, Kondogbia and De Paul, and launches De Bruyne at the entrance to the surface. A pass that unbalances the Madrid defense, totally out of time.
“If someone wants to blame us, I advise them to try it out on a training ground,” says De Bruyne
“Phil Foden? He has special qualities, always taking the ball forward, incredible first downs. We knew we would need him and Gabriel Jesus to pick up speed when the game got a little slow. They did it and they were very good, Guardiola said. I don’t know what to expect from the Colchoneros on the way back. They may be a little higher, combine more. But if the start of the game turns in their favor, maybe they will return to their low game. Above all, I have to think about what we can do to attack better. »
Kevin De Bruyne is expecting a ‘quite similar game’ next Tuesday at Madrid’s Wanda Metropolitano. And warns from the outset that opportunities will still be very rare. “If anyone wants to blame us for this game, I advise them to try it out on a training ground. But I think we played the right way because we didn’t give them anything, we were calm and patient looking for space. We inevitably lose balloons, because it is so dense.
Diego Simeone returned to a 5-4-1 intermittently. But there are not too many illusions about the strategy to adopt on the return. “We suffered, we will go to Madrid and it will be the same because they will play the same way, and we will still use our weapons to qualify. We will see if we can have a little more the ball, move the ball faster and create more difficulties for the opponent. We will have to remain calm, humble and make the effort, but we still have our chances in this confrontation. »