Atletico Madrid vs. Olympiakos: Lessons Learned from Champions League Game
Atletico Madrid secured their progression into the knockout rounds of the Champions League on Wednesday with a dominant 4-0 victory over Olympiakos at the Vicente Calderon.
Keen to avoid a pivotal final-round evening in Turin against Juventus in two weeks' time, Diego Simeone's men embodied their manager's fire and battered the visitors into submission to tighten their grip on top spot in Group A.
Raul Garcia opened the scoring after a dreadful error from Olympiakos goalkeeper Roberto Gago. Next, Mario Mandzukic capitalised on an equally poor mistake from Alberto Botia to double the advantage going into half-time.
After the break, Mandzukic nodded home a fine cross from Arda Turan for Atletico's third. He went on to register a hat-trick by heading in a close-range free-kick from Gabi.
Across the following slides, we examine the lessons learned from Los Colchoneros' emphatic victory.
Diego Simeone Isn't Fussed with Positional Continuity
1 of 5
Diego Simeone has consistently shown us this season that he isn't afraid to chop and change from game to game and did so again in the clash with Olympiakos.
After fielding a system that tended toward a 4-4-1-1 with Koke behind Mario Mandzukic against Malaga at the weekend, the manager switched to more of a 4-4-2 on Wednesday. The change saw Raul Garcia partnering the Croatian up front and forced Antoine Griezmann to the bench (Koke also moved farther back into the midfield).
The changes continued a trend for Simeone, who's happily tinkered with both his formation (we've seen a 4-3-3 and a 4-2-3-1 as well this season) and personnel—particularly in attack, where there's a clear desire to maintain game-to-game variety.
The lesson, therefore, is clear: Simeone is prepared to sacrifice positional continuity to keep opponents guessing about how Atletico Madrid will look to score.
Layoff Left Olympiakos Rusty, Not Fresh
2 of 5
Prior to Wednesday's clash with Atletico Madrid, it had been almost three weeks since Olympiakos had last played. This was due to the suspension of league games in Greece after Christoforos Zografos, the assistant director of the central refereeing committee, was hospitalised from a violent attack in Athens on November 14, per The Guardian.
Olympiakos' previous game had taken place on November 9.
But the long layoff proved to be detrimental on Wednesday at the Vicente Calderon, as Michel's rusty side put in a truly horrific performance and was lucky to escape with a 4-0 scoreline.
Indeed, awful individual errors were to blame for both of Atletico's first-half goals, while careless defending from set pieces allowed the hosts to continue their dominance after the interval.
The Right Flank Is Now the Driver of Atletico Madrid's Attack
3 of 5
For several weeks now, we've watched a growing understanding develop between Juanfran and Arda Turan on the right flank in attack for Atletico Madrid. It's a combination—one that pairs a creative technician with a storming full-back—that's given Diego Simeone's men a new dimension.
And on Wednesday against Olympiakos, the duo emphatically confirmed that they now stand as the driving force in Los Colchoneros' attack. They terrorised Ibrahim Afellay and Arthur Masuaku in the first half to help put the game out of reach by the break.
The key to the pair's effectiveness is the combination of Juanfran's searching runs that stretch the defence and Turan's incredible passing skills in tight spaces (which so often release the Spaniard behind the opposing left-back after an intricate interchange near the right sideline).
To illustrate just how devastating that combination is becoming, note that Juanfran already has five assists in all competitions this season (three in five games in the Champions League), per WhoScored.com. That is a remarkable number for a defender in November.
This Is the Sort of Game Mario Mandzukic Can Dominate
4 of 5
We've spent a lot of time this season discussing Mario Mandzukic's flaws, regularly highlighting how his lack of pace and mobility prevents him from mirroring the sort of influence exerted by Diego Costa at Atletico Madrid.
It's a point that, regardless of how the Croatian plays, will always stand. He's not going to get any quicker and become the one-man counter-attack that his predecessor was.
But Wednesday night also showed us how Mandzukic can dominate a certain type of game.
Against Olympiakos, the hosts were so dominant that they rarely found themselves needing to break into space. Instead, they forced the visitors to spend the bulk of the contest inside their own half.
Because he was not required to cover significant distance at pace, the former Bayern Munich striker was able to do what he does best: command the box, out-muscle his opponent and win the aerial duels.
A confidence-boosting hat-trick was the result.
Atletico Madrid Can Make Another Champions League Final
5 of 5
With progression out of the Champions League group stage now secure, Atletico Madrid can eye the knockout phase of the continental competition with confidence of repeating last season's trip to the final.
Of course, that may seem rather pre-emptive in November—particularly given the transitional period the club finds itself in amid an array of new faces, as well as the presence of a form line that's inferior to the one at the same stage last season.
Such issues, however, are more likely to prove troublesome for Diego Simeone's men in La Liga, where week-to-week dominance will be more arduous to maintain.
In contrast, the intermittent nature of Champions League football and the different way success is defined in Europe (the away-goal rule) set up nicely for Atletico, who are rarely out-fought on the biggest stages and will benefit from the competition's isolated ties.
.jpg?w=600 "Colts Release Kenny Moore")
