Diego Simeone and His Combative style of Coaching

He felt the urge to attend some training sessions at Barcelona, led at the time by Pep Guardiola. Barcelona was a popular club worldwide known to have hyped up the game in 2008-12 with their “tiki-taka” passing style. Guardiola preferred the style which came to be implemented by Andrés Iniesta and Xavi Hernández. However, Simeone steered clear of it. “We talked,” Guardiola recalled, “and he told me, ‘I don’t like this. I don’t feel it.’” Hence, for some people, he also represents the antithesis of Guardiola and his inventive approach.

Diego Simeone Vs Pep Guardiola

Subsequently, Spain was torn between both styles after Simeone moved to Europe to become coach of Atlético Madrid in 2011. The clash survived for more than a decade with Diego Diego Simeone still leading the uncompromising Atlético team and Guardiola revolutionizing football at Manchester City. Although they have been rivals, the two coaches have only faced each other thrice. The last one took place in 2016 during the Champions League where Atlético eliminated Pep Guardiola’s Bayern Munich team in the semifinals. It marks one of Guardiola's horrifying exits in the Champions League since the last they won in 2011.

Atletico Takes on Manchester City

Prior to Atletico's upcoming match against Guardiola led Manchester City, City midfielder Bernardo Silva said, “They are going to be very aggressive. They won’t give us much space and it’s going to be very tight. Definitely not an open game — that’s Atlético’s quality.” Guardiola has also used Atlético’s elimination of Manchester United in the last 16 as a lesson on what a team could expect. Atlético is known for using what is sometimes seen as unsportsmanlike tactics that have disgusted opposition coaches and players over the years.

“It is frustrating at times,” Liverpool defender Andrew Robertson remarked in 2020 when his team was beaten by the Spanish club, “but it is not going to change.” In the 2020-21 season, Simeone attempted to change Atlético into an attacking team using forwards like Luis Suárez and João Félix. In knockouts, Simeone adopts a destructive and pragmatic strategy that is expected to show up at City’s Etihad Stadium for the first leg on Tuesday.

Pep Guardiola Refuses to Judge Atletico's Methods

Meanwhile, Pep Guardiola refrained from judging Atletico's game and instead remarked, “They are more offensive than people believe. He (Simeone) doesn’t want to take a risk in the build-up but, after that, they have quality and they play really well in the final third. It depends on the position of the ball, the moment of the game. They know exactly how to play in each exact moment. Winning, losing, last minutes, early minutes." However, Atlético’s observed use of unethical methods like time-wasting, referees appeals, and players rolling around is still not acceptable for many fans. It is to be seen how the upcoming double-header between the current English and Spanish champions plays out.