Chapter 191: Atlético's Madness — They Strike First
The Champions League semi-finals, no matter who the opponents are, always make headline entertainment.
Moreover, Arsenal and Atlético Madrid both come with built-in traffic.
Arsenal's predecessor was an armaments factory and they usually pride themselves as a club of the people.
But compared with Atlético, Arsenal are actually middle-class — Atlético are the true working-class club.
This team's temperament is embodied by their coach Diego Simeone.
They have nothing to lose, but they have every reason to win!
That's because the whole squad is low-key and pragmatic; the players aren't all superstars. Even the club's marquee "century-beauty" Diego Costa didn't have an ability rating above 95.
But everyone in the team loves football and fights with a positive attitude — they are the only club in world football that plays "fight without end" with such raw fervor.
Atlético arrived in London two days early. Facing the cameras after disembarking, Simeone said: "I won't speculate on the final result. You play match by match. Don't expect effort to be rewarded, but without effort there is certainly no reward."
His disciple Diego Costa told reporters: "We didn't come here for sightseeing. Taking a victory is mandatory."
Mario Suárez, answering reporters, said: "Whether the opponent is strong is not our concern. We fight for ourselves, for Atlético, for La Liga…"
As Atlético pressed offensively in words, Arsenal's players before the match were not backing down either.
Mario Balotelli, in an interview, curled the corner of his mouth into a confident smile and said loudly: "Hmph, Atlético are nothing special. Arsenal will crush them and show them our true strength!"
Xia Qi, by contrast, looked calm and said softly: "The match hasn't started yet; anything is possible. Arsenal will prove on the pitch who the real strong team is."
Both sides declared a determination to win before the match, but in training they coincidentally opted for closed sessions.
After Atlético checked in to Wembley's environs, they didn't show themselves to the media until an hour before kickoff.
At Colney, Wenger spent the week before the match drilling the players' fitness hard.
Simeone's tactics are like a pack of wolves in defense and like a dog retrieving a flying disc in attack.
Wolves or dogs both need high "stamina" — and opponents sharing the pitch are forced to require high stamina as well.
Wenger worried his boys might lack the "blood" for that style, so he pushed fitness training. Of course physical conditioning is a long-term job; an extra week's work won't do miracles, but something is better than nothing.
So Wenger instructed the fitness coach to arrange extra sessions — in his words, it's better to tire the players in training than have them collapse on some woman's belly.
As it turned out, the paparazzi chasing a scoop couldn't find Arsenal players in the local towns all week.
…
Historically in European competition, these two teams were meeting for the first time in the Champions League and for the first time in continental club competition (note: their first-ever competitive meeting had been in the UEFA Cup semi-final 18 years earlier).
The media went crazy. As the team buses arrived at the Emirates, waiting reporters fired cameras like machine guns; for a moment the flashes turned night to day.
Arsenal's match discipline forbids pre-match interviews — they fear post-interview emotions could affect performance.
Atlético did the same.
Players from both sides stepped off the bus with heads down, ignored the microphones thrust at them, and hurried into the dressing rooms.
Inside the Arsenal dressing room Wenger spoke loudly: "Everyone sit down and listen. I know how you're feeling now.
"But fighting the Spanish beasts isn't easy. Our opponents are no pushovers — in my eyes they may be stronger than Barça; at least Barça's fighting spirit isn't as fierce."
"We have to treat tonight like a final. If we lose, the season's work could be wasted…"
"Tonight will be the longest running distance of your lives — you must ration your energy.
"When you feel tired, don't think 'I'll make it up next round.' Either ask to be substituted or grit your teeth and persist. To beat a mad dog you need to be a madder dog, not wait for another time."
Meanwhile in the other dressing room Simeone was giving his pre-match speech…
Unlike the small skirmishes between players, the press conference before the match was restrained.
Simeone, fiery by nature, looked courteous in suit and tie — which unsettled some journalists used to his ranting.
This was Simeone's first meeting with Wenger. He had studied Wenger beforehand.
The more he learned about Wenger, the more Simeone admired the veteran.
Simeone felt he was similar to Wenger: both ran big clubs on middle-class budgets, and both had achieved respectable results — each managing clubs often tagged as near-elite.
Against such an opponent Simeone didn't want to sling trash talk.
And Wenger wouldn't either — except with Mourinho, Wenger is generally elegant even against the likes of Sir Alex Ferguson.
The bland press conference ended quickly and the teams returned to the dressing rooms.
Wenger reiterated the need for fighting spirit; tonight the deciding factor might not be tactics but will.
On the other side Simeone told his players: "I want you to treat this match like the Champions League final."
"We prepared for this for over half a month. That Xia Qi is strong, but he's basically the only one who's that strong. If we play our tactical plan — run the monkeys' pranks — we'll wear him out. No matter how good a race car is, without fuel it's scrap."
"I believe when we run those monkeys into the ground, victory will be ours!!!"
"Raúl, Tiago, Gabi — keep eyes fixed on Xia Qi. When you need to double up, double up. It's not shameful — he's a Ballon d'Or man."
…
"Penguin Sports!"
"Penguin Sports!"
"Penguin Sports!"
"Dear viewers, welcome to the live broadcast on Penguin for the first leg of the 2013–2014 UEFA Champions League semi-final, Arsenal hosting Spain's rising force Atlético Madrid at the Emirates."
"I'm your old friend Zhan Jun."
"Hello viewers, I'm Zhang Lu."
"With the Champions League anthem playing, the teams are walking out…"
"The Emirates is packed tonight — a sea of red and white. Oh, and Atlético fans are here too, wearing their red-and-white-striped shirts which from a distance could be mistaken for Arsenal shirts.
"Atlético are the away team in yellow-and-black tonight, while their traveling fans still wear the home red-and-white."
"Zhang, I like Atlético's away kit — yellow front and back with black sleeves — looks sharp."
"Yes, the diagonal swoosh design is nice, but I prefer the red-and-white — it represents a spirit…"
"The captains finished the coin toss; Atlético captain Gabi chose to kick off."
"Beep!"
"With the referee's whistle, the match begins!"
"Wearing yellow from left to right attacking is the away team Atlético.
"Their starting formation is 4–4–2.
"Goalkeeper: Thibaut Courtois.
"The recent 'friend's-wife scandal' involved Courtois and Kevin De Bruyne…
"The back four: Juanfran, Miranda, Diego Godín, Filipe Luís.
"Midfield four: Raúl García, Tiago, Gabi, Koke.
"Forwards: Diego Costa, David Villa.
"Arsenal's starting lineup is our familiar 4–5–1…
"This is the same lineup they used in the quarter-final first leg against Barça."
…
Simeone and Jürgen Klopp both learned under Marcelo Bielsa; their teams press every blade of grass — but Simeone inherited Bielsa's "madness."
Simeone's team are called mad dogs for a reason.
These two clubs meeting for the first time in Europe started the game not with probing or easing into rhythm, but by immediately cranking up intensity — maybe only Simeone's side plays like this.
Right after kickoff Atlético's left-sided midfielder Koke burst down the wing and was stopped by Gustavo with a challenge; to prevent an Arsenal counter, Koke immediately and without hesitation brought Gustavo down.
It was only the fourth minute but Koke picked up a yellow card.
Wenger thought Simeone would be furious and glanced over — but saw Simeone on the touchline applauding and raising a hand to high-five Koke.
This,
this,
is that a tactic??
Wenger gaped!
Two yellows equal a red — one shouldn't treat that lightly. Koke is one of Atlético's engines; a yellow so early — was that appropriate?
Damn it! Why am I taking a madman so seriously.
Wenger drew back his gaze, worried. He had thought the mad-dog style just meant endless running — but it also meant recklessness.
Atlético were playing so roughly that Wenger feared his players wouldn't adapt, especially after the season earlier when Jack Wilshere had been sidelined — Wenger had reason to worry the squad might break down under such madness.
Maybe that's why Simeone let core players pick up cards early.
The match proceeded exactly as Wenger feared…
In the eighth minute Atlético right-back Juanfran, in a completely unnecessary area near the center circle, launched a flying tackle and felled Xia Qi.
Referee Nicola Rizzoli again showed a yellow card.
But it did nothing to calm Atlético — they didn't tone down their aggression after two early bookings.
"…When Simeone was a player he was dirty; as a coach the dog can't stop shitting, he's still dirty."
Compared to the blunt-tongued Zhan Jun, Zhang Lu's commentary used softer words:
"Simeone's tactical hallmark is aggression, forcing Xia Qi and others under such pressure they cannot control the ball.
"However, it's a double-edged sword — Atlético's frequent cards could put them in danger later."
On the pitch Arsenal quickly took a quick free kick from the back; Balotelli received the ball on his left, controlled and beat Miranda, then took a low shot at Courtois.
Courtois gathered it and booted long.
Raúl García jumped forward to flick on with a header.
Diego Costa, in the center of the box, didn't wait for the ball to drop and struck a volley.
The ball brushed the post and went out.
"Both sides had a shooting opportunity early but no goals."
A minute later Atlético made a misplaced pass in the high-speed phase.
Gabi, pressed by De Bruyne and Santi Cazorla, could only pass back to a defender.
Atlético center-back Godín misjudged the half-high clearance and the ball struck his shin rather than cleanly on the foot.
The ball bounced away.
Xia Qi, hovering nearby, took a giant stride and like a whirlwind chased the loose ball.
"Oh no, Godín erred! Xia Qi — that's a chance, shoot!"
As Zhan Jun yelled, Xia Qi reached the ball and struck it first-time.
A driven low strike!
The ball zipped along the turf toward the near corner.
But Courtois was sharply focused on his counterpart's team. After Godín's mistake Courtois had already shifted his position.
He effectively anticipated Xia Qi's shot. If Xia Qi had been an AI he might have anticipated Courtois's anticipation and hit the far corner — the result may have been different.
In front of goal, Courtois pushed off with his legs and slid, left hand skimming the grass, stretching forward and got a crucial touch to divert the ball out for a corner before it crossed the line.
A unified gasp of regret rose over the Emirates.
It was that close — if the shot had been fractionally faster or Courtois a touch slower, the ball would have slipped through his fingers.
Xia Qi shook his head in disappointment — at the instant of the strike he had seen Courtois moving, but his brain could no longer send another command; that's the human limit compared to AI.
Courtois rose and Godín ran back to hug him.
That error had come from his own carelessness; without Courtois's intervention, Godín would have been the one to blame.
Arsenal took the resulting corner; Godín headed it out of the box and Tiago picked up the clearance and played a long ball to Diego Costa.
At that time Diego Costa was not yet famous. Atlético had bought him from Portugal in 2007 and then loaned him to Segunda; two years later he transferred to Valladolid in La Liga.
In 2010 Atlético exercised a buyback: "I was blind, I was wrong," they said, and brought Diego Costa back.
He gradually made a name for himself in La Liga; his real fame would come after joining Chelsea post-World Cup.
At this point Costa wasn't prominent, so Arsenal didn't double up on him and left Gustavo to mark him one-on-one.
But once Diego Costa hits top speed he resembles peak Wayne Rooney or Adriano — a tank that human flesh cannot stop.
It was no surprise that the strong Gustavo was thrown by Costa's power.
A collective gasp rose over the Emirates as Arsenal fans swallowed a mouthful of cold air.
Costa, like lightning, rushed to the edge of the box.
Before Per Mertesacker could close the angle, Costa planted his foot on the edge of the area and fired.
The ball dipped noticeably as it approached goal.
Confidently committing to a dive, Martínez didn't touch the ball at all and simply watched it drop into the net.
0–1!
Atlético, playing away, strike first.
(END CHAPTER)
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