Sport
Could Felix decide intriguing Atletico vs. Man Utd clash?
There are so many similarities between Atletico Madrid and Manchester United this season, and not in a good way. Struggles to match expectation with their league form have called into question the long-term direction of both, but it was a specific difference that made their Champions League last-16 meeting so enticing when the draw was made.
On paper at least, with Ralf Rangnick and Diego Simeone in either dugout, there should be a masterclass in two polarising tactical approaches in store. Rangnick is a key driver of the gegenpress, and his remit to incorporate that into life at Old Trafford becomes clearer with each passing post-match interview, often with a frustrated tone, but his message is never delivered with anything less than unfiltered and refreshing honesty. Simeone is a fighter who coaches like he played; akin to a mob boss. His players his lieutenants are ready to carry out his orders to get physical on the pitch. Win the battle whatever the cost.
Only neither side is the purest form of themselves right now and for opposite reasons. Rangnick is fresh in at Manchester United, not only looking to change the culture but implement it; as he has made clear, the reason he is there is because of past failings, and part of that is the erratic nature in which they’ve searched for an identity over the best part of a decade. There has been no cohesion, embodied by the hasted nature of Cristiano Ronaldo’s arrival last summer; he is somebody known to preserve his energy and sharpness for key moments, rather than utilise it constantly for the intense gameplay Rangnick loves. The pair are trying to make it work; he is insisting there are no problems, but they are so obviously a marriage of convenience, representing very different directions.
Simeone, on the other hand, has now been in charge of Atleti for 11 years. At their best, they were combative underdogs who levelled up where they could; they were intense in a difference sense, harrying and biting from a low block in defence, with incredibly clinical strikers. At first, it was Radamel Falcao, then Diego Costa and later Antoine Griezmann. Like any club who punches above their weight, they rely on novelty, and that has waned somewhat.
Players have come and gone, often picked up by traditionally bigger clubs, and Simeone has had to evolve. His greatest achievement came in 2014 when he won La Liga and reached the Champions League final; although Atleti were crowned champions last season, it was a different challenge, where expectation was something to contend with as both Barcelona and Real Madrid struggled.
There has been a softening in the approach play, too. When Griezmann departed for Barcelona in 2019, he was replaced by Joao Felix. The Portuguese teenager had come from Benfica for €126m, but didn’t immediately strike anybody as a Simeone player. He is small, diminutive and runs into spaces to cause the opposition problems, something he has not been able to do freely in Simeone’s rigid 4-4-2 system. Although he scored and assisted in a comprehensive victory over Osasuna last weekend, taking the game very much by the scruff of the neck, it has been another season for him, with just three goals to his name in La Liga and none in the Champions League.
Nevertheless, he is confident Atleti can take their newfound good form into Wednesday’s clash at the Wanda Metropoliano.
“I’m happy because we were coming from a really bad loss and knew how to bounce back. I’m not worried about personal achievements and ready to help my team,” Felix said.
“We were good, very united. We worked well and we got a good victory. It was a good game for me and for everyone. We are motivated for Wednesday’s game. We have to continue with the same mentality. If the attitude is good, everyone’s quality comes out.
“We’re going to try to make a great game to win the first round and then we’ll see. The Champions League is one of the most beautiful challenges. We are motivated, it will be a beautiful match to watch and play.”
Felix is supremely talented; the sort of player who gives Portugal hope ahead of their future without Ronaldo, whom he could come face to face with. But his time in Madrid was forecast to be difficult because of a clash of styles and so it has proven. Atletico are struggling to step from one approach to another, too; despite very little in the way of systemic change, they are no longer quite as ruthless defensively. That was what gave them the edge under Simeone initially.
After recovering from an initial Leeds comeback to win the clash at Elland Road on Sunday, the Red Devils showed the quality and character Rangnick has been demanding for weeks. Perhaps these two struggling sides are meeting at an ideal time after all.
Whoever wins will need quality at the right moments. There won’t be a short supply of it on the pitch, but players will need to step up, chiefly, from the hosts’ point of view, Joao Felix. What makes this tie so exciting is the fact that greater mental strength will probably prove decisive.
