Breaking Down Diego Simeone's Atletico Madrid Master Plan That Will Topple Real

Atletico Madrid head into the biggest and final game of the season on Saturday, ready to face Real Madrid in the UEFA Champions League final in Milan.

Los Rojiblancos are in good shape physically, with all their first-choice players fit after various injuries in the last few weeks of the league season, and manager Diego Simeone has had plenty of time to prepare the side as they bid to go one better than two years ago in Lisbon. Then, Atleti led until the last minutes of the final against Real—before conceding a late equaliser and going on to lose 4-1 in extra time.

There is naturally a determination on the part of Atletico to put right the wrongs from that fixture and bring home the biggest trophy in club football, and with Simeone having proved his tactical astuteness and ability to shape the squad for success over a number of seasons, this could finally be the year they are crowned champions of Europe.

To do so, however, they need to get past a Real Madrid side who finished up the season winning 12 straight league matches and finished one place above Atletico in the table, meaning Simeone needs to get his team selection and approach to the match 100 per cent correct.

Defensive structure

It's no secret that Atletico's biggest strength lies in their ability to defend deep, frustrate teams and repel danger from all quarters: high balls, set pieces, through balls and trying to run behind the back four.

Jan Oblak is a proactive goalkeeper who will happily come from his six-yard box to dominate his area, the central defence are among the best aerially and both full-backs are, first and foremost, defensively determined as well as able to contribute in the opposite direction.

In addition to the individual parts of the defence being of high quality and consistency, the midfield plays a key role.

Whether in a flat four or tilting across to a five-man line, with one of the strikers dropping wide, Atletico will look to keep a small space between the defensive and middle lines, forcing Real Madrid to play sideways, the width of the pitch, back and forth, without really penetrating into dangerous areas.

Atletico are happy to back themselves to remain in shape, not too concerned with conceding possession in the middle third, and with Real's main avenue of attack coming from the wide forwards cutting infield from the channels, Atleti's wide midfielders will double up with the full-backs and force Gareth Bale and Cristiano Ronaldo into crowded cul-de-sacs.

It's relentless, determined and precise work from a defensive sense and, regardless of the scoreline, Atletico will perform these pivoting actions ceaselessly for spells of 15 or 20 minutes at a time if necessary.

Aggression and speed

They are not, contrary to popular belief, all about the defence. In attack, Simeone has gifted players at his disposal and makes good use of them whenever possible, within the overall team structure.

Antoine Griezmann will be free to roam in spaces off the attacking line, Fernando Torres will work the channels, and Koke and Saul Niguez will both surge forward from deep in possession, linking play and looking to make up the numbers in the box.

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This support from the second line is critical for Atleti, both in build-up and in terms of finishing chances. The chemistry between Koke and Torres in particular has been exceptional in the past three months, with the striker enjoying his best form since his Liverpool days in the process, and Saul is often the one who will make darting runs to link up with the marauding full-backs to get behind opposing full-backs.

Marcelo and Dani Carvajal are the most likely starters for Real at full-back, and while they are offensively among the best in world football, there's little doubt that they leave plenty of room in behind them and expose their central defenders to an extent.

Saul and Juanfran down the right; Koke and Filipe Luis down the left; small triangles of play can see Atleti combine and exploit those gaps behind Real's back line and create cut-back opportunities for Griezmann and Torres.

Add in the speed at which three or four can counter-attack for Atletico, at times overwhelming and overloading opponents on the break, and it's clear that they have the tools to damage Real at the other end.

Mentality

Perhaps the overriding theme of Atletico heading into the final is the club-wide approach of we have to win this game.

It's an ongoing mentality at the club, one that Simeone demands in every match regardless of playing against Real or Rayo Vallecano, but it goes double for this game in particular.

Godin has already spoken to UEFA (h/t Marca) about the memories from losing to Real in the final two years ago: "It is hard to forget that night in Lisbon. We had a great season and we were disappointed. This final is going to be very hard fought and physical. It is a dream for me, the team and the fans to lift this title."

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Club president Enrique Cerezo echoed those sentiments, per Marca, and left everybody listening in no doubt as to how far his side would go: "We have to win on Saturday. Not winning would be a huge disappointment. We have to win by fair means or foul—we just have to win."

At times, Atletico have been criticised for an aggressive approach to games, but this mentality has taken them far. It is a war of attrition, a fierce battle and an absolute focus on doing whatever it takes to get the result.

In-game emphasis

If the match follows the pattern of Atletico's usual big fixtures, the team in red and white will start fast.

Despite having the reputation of a defensive or counter-attacking team from deep, they love to press extremely high and try to dominate territory rather than possession—the front two begin the closing down, and the rest follow in suit.

It can yield early chances, put the opposition on the back foot and force them into mistakes, disrupting the rhythm of possession-based teams or those who do not work as hard as Atletico do to recover the ball.

After an initial 15 or 20 minutes of this high-intensity approach, Atletico will naturally begin to sit back into shape, aware they cannot maintain that level of defending high for the entire match.

Real may then start to dominate possession, but as noted, that's part of Atletico's own game plan. It's their own brand of control, and they will look to counter into the channels at speed when the ball is won and Real Madrid's full-backs are high up the field.

Simeone will switch from 4-4-2 to 4-3-3, and back if needed, and of course, he will have the luxury of bringing on effective players from the bench to reshape the game, just as he did against Bayern Munich.

Bench

Atletico's bench could almost be named now.

Miguel Angel Moya will be the substitute goalkeeper, while Angel Correa, Luciano Vietto, Tiago and one central defender will also be named—either Jose Gimenez or Stefan Savic, with the other a starter.

For the sixth place, it's either Yannick Carrasco or Augusto Fernandez, depending on whether Simeone opts for a rock-solid midfield line or more pace to start the match with, then it's a toss-up between Jesus Gamez, Thomas Partey or Matias Kranevitter for the last bench spot, with the smart money going on Thomas.

That gives Simeone at least three offensive options to change the game in his favour, with Tiago recovered from a broken leg now and Thomas being a superb surging option late in the game, both to break lines if Atletico are trailing and to push the team upfield and run down the clock if they are winning.

Correa is a match-winner on his day, and Carrasco is a massive tactical option to press high and be an outlet on the counter, playing centre-forward or from the wing.

The squad is complete, now Atleti just need to win one more time to prove it.

Differences

There's little point in pretending comparisons can't be made with two years ago; they already have, and it's probable that Simeone has used the pain of that defeat to motivate his players this time anyway.

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There are two additional factors that Atletico benefit more from this time around: preparation time and fitness levels.

In 2014, they were facing the final just after an all-or-nothing title showdown with Barcelona, which they won, of course, and simply had no energy for extra time after conceding the late goal against Real. In addition, there were injuries and a much weaker bench than they currently have.

This season, there are no excuses for Simeone and Co. Both teams have had ample time to recover, to plan and to practice. The final will be a momentous occasion and the Spanish game will continue its dominance of European football regardless of who wins. 

Simeone has proved himself as one of the game's finest managers several times over the last few seasons, though, and he will want this match to be a culmination—and justification—of his means and beliefs up to this point.

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