It was a big clash in La Liga before the international break as Atletico Madrid played against Barcelona at the Wanda Metropolitano. The game was another classic Simeone victory as the hosts won with a lower possession%, also keeping a clean sheet. While there were many rumours about Ronald Koeman’s future at Barcelona, the Dutchman head coach could only impact the game from the stands. He gave fresh tactics to establish more control in this game, but the outcome was below expectations. This tactical analysis will give details on how “El Cholo” beat Koeman’s Barça.
Lineups
Atlético Madrid played in a back three but Simeone chose an intriguing eleven. Both regular wing-backs, Renan Lodi and Kieran Trippier started on the bench, as Marcos Llorente and Yannick Carrasco filled those positions. He also played Luis Suárez and João Félix as the strikers instead of Ángel Correa.
There were surprises in Barcelona’s eleven. Some starters in Portugal were dropped and Koeman decided to give young players the chances to play. Apart from Óscar Mingueza who played as the right-back, they also had Gavi and Nico González starting, and there was no real winger as Frenkie de Jong was the right-winger on paper.
