Diego Simeone was at pains Friday to insist meeting Real Madrid for a fourth successive season in the Champions League is not about “revenge”.
And while that may be true, justice may be the more apt motivation as Los Rojiblancos have come up short in each of those four previous encounters – two finals and one quarter-final tie – despite outplaying their richer neighbours in at least three of the matches.
While that is a matter of opinion, the significant fact is that Real Madrid swelled their European Cup haul from nine to 11 while Atletico are still waiting for their first.
Real have become their bete noir on the continent as Diego Simeone has transformed Atletico into a genuine European superpower yet just as they look poised to be rewarded for their growth with club football’s greatest prize, up pops a shirtless Cristiano Ronaldo to hammer home the fundamental difference between the two clubs.
It was only a small margin but in an online poll conducted by Madrid daily AS ahead of Friday’s semi-final draw, just over 53 per cent of Atleti fans wanted them in the last four as opposed to the final.
In facing a technically-superior side, the nominated underdog would usually choose the latter but in this case the dynamic is flipped.
While Real have arguably the more gifted individuals – Antoine Griezmann and Koke aside – Atleti’s defensive discipline makes them a devilishly difficult side to beat over 180 minutes.
Diego Simeone FC. 3 semi finals in 4 seasons.
— Olly (@Giroudesquee) April 18, 2017
In one game, anything can happen… a last minute Sergio Ramos equaliser for example. But over two legs at the Bernabeu and Vicente Calderon, Zinedine Zidane needs a gameplan to counter-act Simeone.
Despite his successful first season in charge of Los Blancos, and a sophomore campaign which is likely to yield the La Liga trophy, this will undoubtedly be the biggest test of his coaching career.
Atletico under Simeone have, more or less, honed a strategy to restrict Cristiano Ronaldo. This season’s hat-trick in the league meeting in November was something of a freak as the Portuguese had gone six frustrating games without a goal against Atleti. For a goalscorer of Ronaldo’s calibre, that classifies as a drought.
And outside of Ronaldo, goals haven’t been consistently forthcoming from Karim Benzema (seven in 20 matches in 2017) or Gareth Bale (goalless in six matches since his return from injury).
Zidane is yet to admit it but he clearly doubts Alvaro Morata’s quality, the Spanish international is restricted to minutes mainly against the minnows with just one start in Europe all season, which leaves options somewhat limited.
Madrid are still scoring goals – you have to go back to April 6 last year against Wolfsburg to the last time they failed to find the net – but Zidane needs to find a nuance to reinforce Ronaldo.
Just like in boxing, with styles making fights, the other semi-final provides an intriguing attack v defence narrative as a vibrant Monaco meet the Fort Knox-like fortifications of Juventus and their ‘BBC’ of Buffon, Bonucci and Chiellini.
Juve repelled the finest and most prolific attacking trio in modern football over two matches, which, in a performance sense has to be up there with all that the Bianconeri have achieved this decade.
That being said, the first leg against Barcelona showcased another side to Juve – a willingness to attack with purpose. An aspect of their play they have increasingly used when faced with teams who play a free-flowing and attacking game, allowing space to open up.
And Monaco are exactly that side as they’ve swept past Manchester City and Borussia Dortmund.
AS Monaco have a formidable record, they have been beaten just twice in 24 matches. #UCL pic.twitter.com/CVQBzVkewm
— Champions League (@ChampionsLeague) April 19, 2017
But while Kylian Mbappe, Thomas Lemar, Bernardo Silva and a born-again Falcao have dazzled, Juve represent a significantly more cerebral challenge.
City and Dortmund presented significant weaknesses in defence, all which were brutally exposed by Monaco’s liquid counter-attacking.
Allegri will simply not play that way as he doesn’t need to, with the security of Bonucci and Chiellini, and the ingenuity of Paulo Dybala and Miralem Pjanic at the other end of the field, another task for Leonardo Jardim with his side’s defensive acumen a concern.
Monaco will need to find a way to pick a lock few have been able to find the combination for.
And, right now, the semi-finals which, at base level, pit attack v defence, it’s the latter discipline which looks more likely to triumph.
