In recent days, the English media has built the upcoming game between Manchester City and Atletico Madrid, as a meeting between two different schools at 180 degrees.
On the one hand the creative and offensive football of Pep Guardiola and on the other hand the pragmatic and defensive style of Cello Simeone.
There were those who took the comparison further, calling the game a battle between the "beautiful" and the "beast."
Pep did not like these comparisons.
He always said that there are many ways to play football.
That there is no one "right" way.
And he has not forgotten the criticism he has received in the past, for the fact that his teams have sometimes sanctified the endless ball movement across the pitch.
He also recounted the day when Simeone, just after arriving in Spain from Argentina about a decade ago, came to visit Barcelona in training.
"My team was in shock. They were used to everyone who came in getting excited about what he saw in training from Messi, Xavi and Iniesta. But Cello twisted his nose and said he did not like that style."
For Simeone the goal sanctifies the means.
And the goal is to win.
Qualify for the next round.
And if that means playing super-defensively, he has no problem with that.
And that's exactly what happened yesterday.
Simeone is not thrilled by the embarrassing statistics - zero kicks per frame, zero kicks per goal, 29 percent ball possession, 213 dedications (compared to City's 627).
For him there is only one significant figure.
The result.
0: 1 to City.
Which means the reunion next week is completely open.
Pep said after the game: "In prehistory, today and in 100,000 years, it is very difficult to attack and score in front of a 0-5-5 formation."
Indeed, throughout many parts of the game Atletico defended with five players in the back line and five more in front of them.
When both Joao Felix and Antoine Griezmann - pioneers on paper - do mostly defense.
And let no one doubt: next Wednesday, in the rematch at Wanda Metropolitano, it will be a completely different opera.
Atletico knows how to attack and score whenever they want.
She wants to qualify for the semi-finals and for that to happen she has no choice but to attack.
Manchester City a better team.
There is no doubt about that.
But who like Simeone knows that not always the good ones win.
Puden.
Football genius, Photo: Reuters
2. Phil Foden is a football genius.
Everyone knows that.
The player with the "Bibi Pace" is only 21 years old, but plays like a veteran and experienced player.
He is also usually in the Manchester City squad.
Yesterday Guardiola decided that Puden would open on the bench - thinking he could influence the game better precisely when he comes in as a substitute.
Pep believed that Puden, with his great bowling ability and magical touch, could be more effective when Atletico players were tired, after the tremendous defensive effort they put in.
And it worked, even better than Pep thought.
Just 80 seconds after coming on, Foden was the one to pass the ball between the legs of brake Reinaldo, placing Kevin de Bruyne in an excellent position, from which the Belgian scored.
That was the moment that decided the game, and who knows, maybe even lifted City to the semifinals.
Puden has already had seven tackles in his career in the Champions League.
In all the history of English teams there is only one player with more cooking than Fudan at the age of 21: Cesc Fabregas who did so at Arsenal.
De Braina.
The road to the final is still long, Photo: Reuters
3. De Bruyne himself is in his best period since the start of the season.
Yesterday's goal was his third in a row, after scoring in the cup against Southampton and in the league against Burnley.
Only yesterday it was a much more important gate.
The Belgian midfielder arrived at City in 2015 and yesterday recorded his 50th game in the team uniform in the Champions League.
The goal was his first this season at the factory, and his 11th in the City uniform in the Champions League.
But as everyone knows, de Bruyne's specialty is cooking.
And such he has 17 in the Champions League, more than any other player in the English teams in the last 6 years.
City reached the final last season and were the favorites against Chelsea.
But de Bruyne will not remember the final in Porto for good.
Not only because of the loss, but also because of the fact that he injured his head in the 60th minute and had to come off the field in tears.
If he had stayed to play, maybe the final would have ended differently.
De Bruyne hopes this season will end differently - with the win of the European Champions Cup.
But before that there are a few more stops to go through.
Klopp celebrates with Liverpool fans in Lisbon, Photo: EP
4. Both Manchester City and Liverpool won yesterday in the first game of the quarter-finals.
But what a difference ... City are expecting a tough and exhausting rematch in Madrid next Wednesday, against the militant team of Simeone - and against 60,000 red and white fans, who will drive their players crazy.
Liverpool on the other hand will be able to reciprocate at Anfield against Benfica, with a promising 1: 3 advantage from the away game.
Although he said nothing has been decided yet and anything is still possible - Jürgen Klopp can be calm.
The thing is that the two greats of English football will face each other this coming Sunday in the league - in a game that could decide the fate of the championship - and the following Saturday they will meet again, this time at Wembley in the English Cup semi-finals!
The implication is clear: Liverpool can fully concentrate on the "game of the season", which will take place in four days, without worrying too much about the game against Benfica.
City, on the other hand, will have to think about both the critical league game (they are only one point ahead of Liverpool at the top of the table) and what awaits them in Madrid.
And in this respect Klopp's condition is much better than that of Guardiola.
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