Impossible is not Champions League.
Even if it means pushing open doors, remember that, in a match, anything is possible.
But there are situations that are less well taken on board than others.
Like the one in which Atlético de Madrid is, beaten on the lawn of Manchester City (1-0) in the quarter-final first leg last week.
In England, Diego Simeone's men were a caricature of themselves: everything for defense, nothing for attack, playing "
5-5-0
" as Mancunian coach Pep Guardiola pointed out.
By his own admission, this is "
the first time
that Kevin De Bruyne saw such a way to concrete.
Worse: Atlético has not shot once on goal in the space of 90 minutes, unheard of since Simeone is the coach, that is to say since December 2011.
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To believe that the reigning Spanish champions will topple the Premier League leaders is to defy the odds.
On Saturday, Atlético languished in apathy losing to Mallorca (1-0), with 9 shots including only one on target.
To find grounds for hope, you have to dig.
But there are.
First, Antoine Griezmann, Thomas Lemar and Matheus Cunha only played half time on Saturday, and João half an hour.
João Félix, Atlético's lethal weapon
Saved, they will surely not hold all four against City.
But they represent real attacking potential, each capable of individual exploits and exploiting large spaces, which City are used to leaving behind due to their strong ball possession in the opposing camp.
Before last weekend, Félix had 6 goals and 2 assists in his last 6 La Liga matches, punctuated by promising appearances with Portugal during the play-offs at the 2022 World Cup. The Madrid nugget seems to have reached a milestone .
Performing against a European behemoth like City is the logical next step.
Read also“Oh, I did not know”: Guardiola learns in a press conference of the departure of Fernandinho from Manchester City
Another reason to believe it?
Manchester City, like Paris Saint-Germain, has not always breathed serenity in the Champions League.
Often, the designated culprit was also the architect who had brought the team so far: Pep Guardiola.
The Catalan doesn't stop at the adage that 'you don't change a winning team'.
In 2020, in the quarter-finals against Lyon, he changed his starting lineup to maximize control of the game. A strategy that backfired, City was eliminated (3-1).
Last year, the Skyblues played their first C1 final against Chelsea... without a professional defensive midfielder.
Defeat 1-0.
"
Guardiola has crossed the fine line between genius and madness
", will write the newspaper
The Sun
.
In short, even if it means dreaming, Atlético can believe in a new clumsy inspiration from Guardiola which would create a breach in which to rush.
We have a plan and we stick to it.
We feel strong in this game plan.
Koke, midfielder and captain of Atlético de Madrid
Dreaming is good.
Keeping your feet on the ground is also good, if you listen to Diego Simeone.
“
We are not going to stray much from what we usually do,
warned the Argentine coach at a press conference.
I hope that we will manage to combine better between us, have faster transitions, have counter-attacks, and that our players will have a fantastic evening.
His faithful captain and midfielder, Koke, followed suit: “
We have a plan and we are sticking to it.
We feel strong in this game plan. […] Those who speak from the outside, they can say what they want.
We have our plan, and we will do everything to win this confrontation.
Stubborn, the mattress makers.
Atlético, in a hurry but not too much
We must therefore expect a new classic case of attack-defense on Wednesday.
The difference is that Atlético will be forced, at some point, to surrender.
And to bet on City's shortcomings at the finish.
The Skyblues again paid for a lack of realism in the shock against Liverpool last Sunday (2-2), and the absence of a great center forward after the Harry Kane soap opera in the summer of 2021.
Read alsoLemar defends Simeone and Atlético's style of play before City in C1: "Maybe it's not pretty to see, but it's effective"
It is unlikely that Atlético will ignite the match before half-time: a game of ping-pong would satisfy the Skyblues more than the people of Madrid.
It will be necessary to resist and sting at the right time, in a Wanda Metropolitano deprived of around 5,000 of its 68,000 seats, Uefa having sanctioned Atlético after Nazi salutes from Spanish supporters in the stands in the first leg.
"
The club is working on an appeal against this decision,
" Koke said.
I hope they will accept it.
Champions League quarter-finals don't happen every day.
Overthrowing Pep Guardiola's Manchester City is even rarer.