War of words
Preparations for the first match were announced as the ultimate clash of styles between two elite managers – the free, possession-based, attacking football of Pep Guardiola against the defensive, regulated, counterattack style of Diego Simeone.
The resulting 90 minutes went exactly according to the script before the game, as City had 68 percent of the ball and 15 attempts to score against zero at Atletico.
Atletico’s two five-pointers looked disappointing for City until Phil Foden was introduced from the bench and his immediate assistance to Kevin De Bruyne to overcome the dead end.
After the match, the Atletico players said they were pleased with the result, confident that they would win at home tonight in front of a home crowd.
Pep Guardiola said after the match: “They came out 5-5-0. Two lines of five. And in prehistory, today and after a hundred thousand years, attacking 5-5 is very difficult. That is, there is no place. Apart from the fact that they are very competitive and defend themselves very well, there is no place. “
The comment on the “prehistory” was picked up by Koke on social media, who said he was “proud” of Atletico’s prehistory, and Simeone turned to Guardiola’s discarded comments yesterday.
He said:
“I have been training since 2005 or 2006 until today and I have never despised my colleague. I always put myself in his shoes and I understand that there are different ways to express what he feels and lives.
“When a person despises a colleague, I do not share it. Later, journalists and former players, to someone who hasn’t played for a long time and wants to say something different … the fish dies through the mouth, my father used. We can all have an opinion, but among colleagues we all have ways, I always respect my colleagues, always. “
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