Their determination, grit , resilience and game smarts means that Atletico Madrid are the team everyone wants to avoid in Friday’s draw.
Last summer, Arda Turan, the Turkish international took the decision to leave his beloved Atletico Madrid. During his four years there, he had established himself as a crowd favorite and they were understandably infuriated. After all he had just won the La Liga crown and made it to the Champions League final a year earlier against all odds and his team were still extremely competitive.
However Turan did not see it this way. To him, the red and whites were in decline. From the title-winning point’s haul of 90 in 2013-14, it had decreased to 78, 16 points off new champions Barca in 2014/15. It seemed like Diego Simeone’s motivational powers were fading away. For the Turk, this was the time to elevate his career by joining a true super power in the game.
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And despite the fact he would have to wait six months to kick a ball, that is exactly what he did joining the Catalan giants for a fee around 30 million euros. One wonders how a player like him must feel now. Was Barcelona actually a step up? Or was it a misconceived perception that was lingering in his head when he made that decision. He may point to the fact that Barca had won all seven of their last meetings with Simeone’s men before yesterday.
But the game preceding that run and the games ending Barca’s streak are arguably results that matter much more than any of Barca’s. Barcelona’s 2-0 defeat to the Rojiblancos in the second leg of their Champions League quarter-final, condemning them to a 3-2 aggregate defeat meant that for the second time in three seasons they were knocked out at the same stage against the same frustrating opponents.
Few know how to suffer like they do but then again, few know how to make opponents suffer like they do. Arda, a key component to their 2-1 aggregate win in 2013/14 was not to be a match winner as his new team were outwitted, outfought and beaten comfortably in the end.
After a fiery first leg which had seen the European champions take a 2-1 lead, Atletico knew they were still in the game even if they were not given much of a chance elsewhere. After all, this is just the fuel that Simeone uses to invigorate his men; this siege mentality has been instilled in his players from day one. Despite the contentious officiating throughout both legs and the many decisions that went against them it was admirable seeing how easily the Atleti rearguard strangled and suffocated the life out of perhaps the best front three of all time when it really mattered.
After Fernando Torres’ two yellow cards in the first leg in quick yet questionable succession, they battled and battled and for once they never looked out of place. Luis Suarez the eventual match winner, scoring a brace should have been sent off if Torres’ marching orders where anything to go by but was not. Throughout the week , the common consensus was the men from the capital had been done well after the sending off. But the fact they had to chasing the game in the second leg meant spaces would open up at the Calderon and they would be punished.
There was no consideration all they needed was a 1-0 win added to the fact they were at home. The game plan by Simeone was simple. Press high up the pitch and try to snatch an early goal to put Barcelona under pressure and make them doubt themselves. The plan itself was straight forward; the execution however was entirely a more difficult proposition. But the players stuck to their manager’s script like their lives depended on it and the execution was magnificent.
From the moment the whistle was blown, the home side’s high intensity was a sight to behold. It was also flabbergasting to witness how Barca were so overwhelmed by it in the first half. The Cules struggled to cope with the home team’s aggressiveness and didn’t establish a foothold in the game until the second period. They were outfought and outmuscled in the middle of the park with their opponents winning nearly all the second balls and defending characteristically resolutely.
When Antoine Griezmann, previously had been slandered for being anonymous in these games popped up to head home Saul’s exquisite outside of the boot cross. The home crowd roared ferociously, the Calderon had become a cauldron and the animosity that was held by Atleti from the controversial first leg had stirred them into the lead. Inevitably, Barca began to push the Colchoneros deeper and deeper, camping out in Atleti’s final third. Barca huffed and puffed but were being held at arm’s length by an obdurate defense.
It is very rare to see the triumvirate of Lionel Messi, Suarez and Neymar feeding on scraps and it was fascinating how all three of them were forced to do that here. As the clock ticked all three of them visibly became gradually more frustrated. Suarez elbowed Diego Godin and should have been sent off but only received a yellow, while Neymar received a caution for sending Juanfran into the hoardings, pitch side. Meanwhile Messi was having an uncharacteristically quiet game and was being swarmed anytime the ball reached his feet. Filipe Luis was exceptional in nullifying his gigantic threat.
As the latter part of the game progressed, Messi began to drop deeper in the hope that he could find more pockets of space in order to influence the play more and inspire his team. However it was in vain as Atleti just kept soaking up the pressure. The holders and favorites began to think about what was an absurd thought before the tie but was now becoming a reality, they were minutes away from being knocked out.
Barcelona’s hopes of a second Champions League in a row, two trebles in two years – things no team had ever managed to accomplish were about to be broken. When Atleti countered and won a penalty via a blatant handball by Andres Iniesta, the roar that enveloped the stadium became even louder. Griezmann converted making it 2-0 on the night and 3-2 on aggregate, however Simeone’s men knew one goal from Barca would send the tie into extra time.
Three minutes after Griezmann’s penalty, Barcelona appealed for one of their own, one that would have changed everything and forced extra-time. Iniesta’s shot hit Gabi’s arm and although some may argue that it was in the box and therefore was a stone-cold penalty, Iniesta should not have been on the pitch after he had denied a clear goal scoring opportunity in the build up to the penalty.
The pressure built and the Calderón kept singing, Simeone sometimes as much a conductor of an orchestra as a coach as the minutes ticked away encouraging the vociferous home crowd to raise their voice even more. But soon the referee was blowing his whistle and Barca were beaten, they had done it. The roof of the Calderon nearly blew off, the home fans in safe knowledge that they arguably overcame their toughest test in their quest for the UCL title that so agonizingly eluded them two years prior . For only the second time in eight years Luis Enrique’s team have failed to reach the semi-finals.
Amid all the euphoria that will inevitably arise after this result, there is no reason why fans and players alike of the Rojiblancos cannot hope for their journey to continue. Although the likes of Real Madrid, Manchester City and Bayern Munich are all quality teams, all of them would certainly hope to avoid the Red and Whites the most in the draw on Friday.
What Simeone has done in his time at Atleti is nothing short of remarkable. They are the best defensive team in the world making them extremely excruciating to play against and have a proven match winner in Griezmann. Real Madrid fans especially will be watching the draw with added consternation that they might draw a team which they have so often struggled to attain parity with, let alone beat in the last two years.
For all the attacking talent left among the the remaining teams, the likes of Sergio Aguero, Robert Lewandowksi and Cristiano Ronaldo will want to avoid running into the great wall, that is Atleti. It was a wall that Barca could not impede. They are disciplined, gritty, resilient and the epitome of stoicism. They are Los Colchoneros. For Barca, it’s a treble of consecutive defeats, the last of which has ended their hopes of one.
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