Inter Milan’s perfect UEFA Champions League record came to an end on Wednesday against Atlético Madrid.
A stoppage-time goal from a corner by José María Giménez lifted Diego Simeone’s side to a sixth straight win.
Atlético Madrid desperately needed the win because they were hovering near the bottom eight of the league phase, but the win jumped them up into 12th place.
It was a second straight loss for Inter after their 1-0 defeat in the Milan Derby to their inner city rivals.
This season after Simone Inzaghi left for Al-Hilal hasn’t really gone according to plan for Inter.
They are currently sitting fourth in the Serie A table and have already lost four league matches, when they only lost a total of five last season.
It was a fascinating tactical battle between Diego Simeone and Cristian Chivu, but the match more than likely should have ended up as a draw.
In this tactical analysis article, we will take a look at Atlético Madrid’s build-up tactics against Inter Milan’s mid-block, Inter’s utilisation of their full-backs pushing forward, and how Inter Milan tilted the field against Atlético Madrid.
Atlético Madrid Vs Inter Milan Lineups & Formations
Atlético Madrid came out in a 4-1-4-1 formation for the second straight match.
Juan Musso started in net behind José María Giménez and Dávid Hancko as the centre-back pairing.
Matteo Ruggeri started at left-back, while Nahuel Molina lined up at right-back.
Johnny Cardoso got his first start as the lone defensive midfielder, with Conor Gallagher and Pablo Barrios ahead of him in central midfield.
Alex Baena started at left midfield, while Giuliano Simeone started in his usual spot at right mid.
Julián Álvarez started once again up top at striker.
Diego Simeone made five substitutions in the match.
In the 58th minute, Nicolás González came on for Nahuel Molina, Koke came on for Conor Gallagher, and Marc Pubill came on for Johnny Cardoso.
In the 68th minute, Antoine Griezmann came on for Alex Baena, and Alexander Sørloth came on for Matteo Ruggeri.
Cristian Chivu lined Inter Milan up in their usual 3-5-2 formation.
Yann Sommer occupied his usual spot in goal behind Yann Bisseck, Manuel Akanji, and Alessandro Bastoni as the three centre-backs.
Federico Dimarco started at left wing-back, while Carlos Augusto started at right wing-back.
Hakan Çalhanoğlu started alongside Nicolò Barella and Piotr Zieliński as the three central midfielders.
Ange-Yoan Bonny got his first Champions League start up top next to captain Lautaro Martinez.
Cristian Chivu made five substitutions in the match.
In the 65th minute, Marcus Thuram came on for Ange-Yoan Bonny, and Petar Sucic came on for Piotr Zieliński.
In the 72nd minute, Francesco Esposito came on for Lautaro Martínez, and Davide Frattesi came on for Hakan Çalhanoğlu.
The final substitution came in the 79th minute when Luis Henrique came on for Federico Dimarco.
Atlético Madrid Build-Up Tactics
Throughout the match, Atlético Madrid were mainly building up in a 4-2-4, but their key was Nahuel Molina at right back.
When you face a 5-3-2, naturally, the pockets of space that are going to be easily accessible are going to be in the wide areas.
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