"We must take the game to where we can hurt them." Diego Simeone trots out the phrase in every press conference. Yet behind those familiar words sits a meticulously studied plan to expose the opponent's weaknesses.
Yesterday the Argentine steered Atletico Madrid to a 2-1 win over Real in the Madrid derby, on the seventh round of La Liga. Several refereeing incidents stirred plenty of controversy along the way.
Just as his plan had worked to perfection a year earlier in Xabi Alonso's derby, when Atletico thrashed Real Madrid 5-2, Simeone exploited the very same weakness that had undone Jose Mourinho's side: the left flank, "the highway to victory".
Spanish newspaper "Marca" said: "It was no coincidence that Giuliano Simeone repeated his impact on Atletico's right flank as he did in last season's derby, wearing down Carreras. However, the plan this time focused more on two aspects: with Vinicius not tracking back to defend (although he did initially return, he barely did so in the first 20 minutes, leaving Tchouameni trying to cover), they had to exploit the lack of support for Gallagher and Huijsen's hesitation. So, the aim was to intensify the presence in that area with a dribbling player (Kang-in Lee) and three of the team's strongest players (Pubill, Llorente, and Giuliano himself) to make the task of the centre-back and full-back almost impossible".
It added: "This explains why the South Korean player was deployed on that flank despite playing as a dual forward alongside Jonathan David, why Pubill attacked as a full-back, and why Llorente started as a holding player. The purpose of the latter, in addition to marking Bellingham defensively, was to contribute to the attack on that flank. Similarly, the presence of Cardoso in the double pivot, rather than Koke, was determined by the need to cover Marcos's back when he pushed forward into Real Madrid's weak zone".
Beyond crowding that side, Atletico read Real Madrid's habit of dropping deep and the gaps opening between full-back and centre-back. In the final session before the derby, they drilled crosses played over the top of the defensive line.
Both ideas produced goals. Giuliano's run down that flank drew a foul from Huijsen and the penalty that followed. The second came from a Kang-in Lee through ball on the flank, before Simeone slid a precise pass to Jonathan David.
The plan bore its clearest fruit after the break, with Koke coming on to bring calm, composure and possession, and Llorente shifting back to full-back to replace the booked Pubill. But it had already laid bare Atletico's superiority in the opening half.
Eleven against eleven, the Rojiblancos were the better side and controlled the tempo. Seven shots on goal told the story, most of them from the right, even though Grimaldo roamed forward freely on the left, exploiting Guler's reluctance to push up. Real Madrid managed just five.
The numbers back it up. Nearly half of Atletico's attacks, 48%, came from the right, against 24% from the left and 29% through the middle.
Simeone did not only target the weaknesses. He also neutralised his opponent's greatest strength, the counter-attack. Giuliano dropped in as a fifth defender to shackle Vinicius. Pubill took turns tracking Mbappe, kept in check by Romero at the back. And Llorente's tireless running proved decisive in snuffing out any Real Madrid break, leaving the visitors with barely a yard to run into.
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