• Atlético takes a 'clay' derby with authority against a very soft Real Madrid in defense

Gustavo López entered with Simeone's young daughters to his father's press conference. It was a day of celebration and the little ones ran unruly waiting for the Argentine coach to arrive, as exultant as they are.

Atlético de Madrid had broken the negative streak against Real Madrid in La Liga and had managed to beat them for the second time in 14 games. And Simeone, with his daughters in front, remembered the little ones: "It makes me happy that tomorrow Monday the children will go with the Atletico shirt to school," he commented.

In the press conference of the Argentine coach there was praise for everyone, even for Javi Galán, whom he thanked "the little while" that came out. But the ones he remembered most were his captain, Koke, because of his importance, and Morata. "He played an extraordinary game not only for the goals but for his involvement and work" and encouraged him to reach the figures that "he wants" and the team "needs".

The Argentine coach found himself not "with the game he wanted", as the coach of the white team, Carlo Ancelotti, had expressed minutes before in the same press room; but with the one he had planned. The key: the bands.

"We knew we could do damage on the flanks. They suffered in the lateral centers to the second stick and they executed it in the best way Lino and Saúl, "dissected the Cholo before the torture that his players had subjected to Lucas Vázquez and Fran García.

The white diamond has those defensive problems by forcing the wingers to long distances and Simeone's pupils exploited it throughout the game to the point that Ancelotti was forced to change both.

Spirit

Outside the stadium, in the northwest corner of the venue, are written words that are used a lot for the photos of visitors to the Metropolitan: Courage and heart. They are the motto of Atlético and, also, what today is collected in what Cholo described as "spirit", which goes from below (the players) to above (the public) and is what makes the team "great".

Simeone wanted to move Madrid away from an area that they "handle very well" and referred to those three quarters of the field in which the white team wanted to settle after the two goals they received in just 20 minutes. At times he got it and he did it "playing and playing". But, above all, hitting.

The rojiblancos exhibited the punch that Madrid has lacked since the beginning of the League. If Atlético needs less than 5 shots to score, the merengues finish more than 8 times before getting it. "Great teams manage to interpret defensive and offensive forcefulness." Amen.

  • Atletico Madrid
  • Diego Simeone
  • Real Madrid
  • Carlo Ancelotti