The Champions League 2016 final to be held at the San Siro in Milan is only a few hours away from kick-off. The title clash sees two teams with completely opposite philosophies vying for European glory. Real Madrid and their ‘noisy neighbours’ Atletico go head to head in what will be a repeat of the 2014 Champions League final that the Los Blancos won in extra time.
While Diego Simeone’s men will be eager to avenge that loss, Zinedine Zidane will be hoping for a repeat performance from the men in white. On that fateful night in Estadio da Luz in Lisbon, Atletico were 90 seconds away from winning their first ever Champions League but never recovered after Sergio Ramos levelled for Real in the 93rd minute.Further goals from Gareth Bale, Marcelo and Cristiano Ronaldo sealed Atletico’s fate.
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However, after another impressive European campaign that saw Atletico eliminate not one but two favourites in Barcelona and Bayern Munich, can the Colchoneros cross the final hurdle this time around? Sportskeeda examines 5 things that they would need to do differently from 2014 in order to win the Champions League.
#5 Keep emotions in check
Football requires players to be at their peak physically, but it is also a very emotional sport. Players who represent their clubs and countries wear their heart on their sleeves when they step on to the football field. But sometimes, being too emotional can go against a player. It can lead to mistakes that can cost his team a lot. That’s why they say what differentiates the winners from the rest is their ability to keep their emotions in check in critical situations, such as a Champions League final.
In 2014, although Atletico were, for the most part, successful in reining in their emotions clinically applying their unique style of controlled aggression, things did boil over, albeit after the final whistle, when manager Diego Simeone had a go at Real defender Raphael Varane. In fact, Simeone has a reputation for being controversial as evidenced by his recent three-match ban in La Liga. This kind of behaviour naturally trickles down to the players, who tend to emulate their manager.
The passion that Diego Simeone brings to Atletico Madrid is commendable, and the fact that his team is in a second Champions League final in last three seasons proves that a lot of what he is doing is right. However, sometimes, and the Champions League final is one of those occasions, he and his players have to ensure that their emotions do not get the better of them. If they can do that, their chances of winning the biggest trophy in European club football will increase by that much more.
#4 Avoid late goals
In 2014, Atletico were done in by a dramatic equaliser from Sergio Ramos in the third minute of added time. What happened next is now a part of Champions League folklore. Now, if this was a one off, it would have been okay to dismiss it. But what happened in 2014 was a repeat of what had transpired in Atletico’s only other Champions League final.
In the 1974 European Cup final, as it was known then, Atletico looked to be on their way to creating history when late Luis Aragones scored a 114th-minute goal to bring them within 6 minutes of European glory. But a final minute equaliser from Bayern Munich’s Schwarzenbeck took the game to a replay, which the German side won with ease.
So, after having conceded late in both their European finals, Simeone and his men will have to make sure that history does not repeat itself for the third time.
#3 Over-reliance on set plays
Atletico Madrid plays a very unique brand of football that may not be everybody’s cup of tea including that of Brazilian legend Pele, who clearly finds Real Madrid more ‘artistic’. Atleti’s style involves collective hard work rather than individual flair (although they do have flair players such as Antonie Griezmann and Saul Niguez), aggressive tackles, compact defending and swift counter attacks.
It is a style that has worked wonders for them as proven by their recent domestic and European successes. But one of their strongest assets in attack is set plays.
Even in the 2014 final, their only goal of the game scored by defender Deigo Godin originated from a corner kick. Dead ball situations have become really important in football and with some really tall players in its ranks, Atletico is more likely to score from them than most other teams. But a boon can also turn into a bane pretty quickly.
There is no fighting the argument that the Red & Whites stripes should look to set plays to score their goals. But an over-reliance on the same could render them one dimensional. And that’s the last thing one would want to be in a Champions League final.
#2 Conserving energy for extra time
It’s no secret that Atletico Madrid plays a high-intensity game without a lot of possession. In fact, in the recently concluded La Liga campaign, Atletico recorded less than 50% average possession throughout the season, according to Whoscored.com. Such an approach requires their players to be extremely fit as it involves a lot of off the ball running. This would mean that by the time 90 minutes are over, most players would be exhausted.
Although the same approach has been lauded by football experts world over, it caused Atleti’s downfall in the 2014 final.
After chasing every lost cause and giving their all in regulation time, Atletico’s players hardly had any fuel left in the tank in extra time. This allowed the comparatively ‘fresher’ Real players to dominate play. The result – three goals and a bitter end to Atletico’s dream of winning the Champions League.
Diego Simeone has to ensure the same mistake is not repeated again. He has to tell his players to pick and choose their runs so as to conserve energy in case the game goes into extra time.
#1 Field fit players only
After a gruelling domestic campaign that saw them lift the La Liga title for the first time in 18 years, Atletico Madrid went into the 2014 Champions League final with two of their best players in a race against time to prove their fitness. Diego Costa, who was fighting a hamstring injury, reportedly used horse placenta in order to expedite his recovery. He lasted all of 8 minutes in the final forcing Simeone into an early tactical readjustment.
Another of their key players, Arda Turan (now at FC Barcelona), did not even make it to the final squad. The absence of these two players clearly hampered the way Atletico played and gave their city rivals a psychological advantage very early into the tie.
Although it seems that this time around Simeone would not be faced with a similar problem as he travels to Milan with a full squad, the Argentinean has to be careful and field only his fittest as even the slightest of niggles to any player can prove decisive in such a high stakes game.
