UEFA Champions League 2019/20: Liverpool vs Atletico Madrid- tactical preview

Many people seemed to point to Liverpools UEFA Champions League first-leg defeat to Atletico Madrid as the beginning of their poor form, and while their form since then has been poor, I would dispute the statement that it began in the first leg. Although only registering 0.47 xG in the game, I felt Liverpool put in a reasonably good performance against a side in Atletico Madrid who are horrible to play against, and in the end, ultimately fell victim to a ricochet from a corner. That isnt to take anything away from Atlético, who performed exactly as they would have wanted to in terms of tactics, and at times managed to get the better of Liverpool psychologically. In this tactical analysis, Ill look at the tactical conundrum that is Atletico Madrid and their set up, look at how Liverpool did at times build successfully, and how Liverpool can find that killer edge in the game to go through in the tie. As usual, balance is key.

Atlético set-up

I would be shocked to see Atlético set up in any other way than their usual 4-4-2, which usually involves every player behind the ball and looking to remain in a compact shape, hoping for an opportunity to win the ball back or to steal a few yards up the pitch and push higher. We can see this structure below, with the ball side winger usually staying very deep to protect the space behind him and prevent the opposition from playing within there. By sitting deep, Atlético seek to prevent Liverpool from creating numerical advantages and therefore progressing up the pitch.

Atlético work on triggers based on the position of the opposition such as this one below, where they are able to capitalise on a poor pass into Jordan Henderson. Henderson isnt doesnt have the body orientation to play forward as soon as he receives the ball, and also doesnt yet have the ball, so Lemar pushes on to force the ball backwards and get his team some yards, cheered on by Simeone at the bottom of the picture.