LIVLiverpoolClub page
ATLAtletiClub page
Squad value€1.03bn
Squad value€691m
Key playerFlorian Wirtz
Key playerJulián Alvarez
Head coachAndoni Iraola
Head coachDiego Simeone
Atleti commit to keeping the ball and Liverpool are waiting to break the moment they lose it.
Their new manager is not bothered about keeping the ball. This is a fast, direct Liverpool who hurt you in the seconds right after they win it.
“His pressing style should provide fresh energy, and with possession-heavy football not his priority, Iraola can also revive the Reds’ renowned potency on the counter-attack.”Liverpool let you start playing out from the back, then swarm you and herd the ball into the middle where they can steal it.
“Liverpool have often pressed in a 4-4-2 diamond shape, initially encouraging opponents to play short before launching more aggressive pressing sequences, often funnelling the ball centrally before trying to win it back.”Press their goalkeeper and he will simply hammer it long. Liverpool would rather scrap for the loose ball upfield than pass their way out.
“If a team press immediately, Liverpool have been willing to skip short build-up play and go long from keepers Alisson or Giorgi Mamardashvili early.”This is not the Atlético you remember. They keep the ball now instead of sitting deep and hitting you on the break.
“Once known for their defensive compactness and resistance, Atletico Madrid are now transitioning to a team that maintains possession for longer spells.”They will not chase you all over the pitch. They hold their shape and wait for a cue — a heavy touch, a pass backwards — then swarm.
“Defensively, Atletico preferred to defend in a 4-4-2 mid-block. They did not press high constantly but waited for certain triggers to initiate the press.”When they attack, the back four becomes a three and the full-backs push right up the pitch.
“algo más parecido a un 4-3-3 en fase defensiva con cuatro defensas –que se convierten en una línea de tres en salida de ataque, con los laterales desplegándose”something closer to a 4-3-3 when defending, with four defenders who become a line of three when building an attack, the full-backs pushing on our translation