Atletico Madrid vs Chelsea: Diego Simeone’s side remind me of Jose Mourinho’s Champions League-winning Inter Milan side of 2010
SunSport's European football expert is a huge fan of Diego Simeone's work in Spanish capital
LOTHAR MATTHAUS is SunSport’s European football expert.
The Germany legend looks at what Chelsea must do to keep Atletico Madrid at bay this evening.
I LOVE watching Atletico. They are a fantastic team, a special team.
For me, they are similar to the Inter Milan side that won the Champions League under Jose Mourinho in 2010.
They have good players and are physically very strong.
But they are also a team very much in Diego Simeone’s image. They play like he did 30 years ago.
I played against Diego and I still have the scars on my legs. He might not have been the greatest player but he was strong and aggressive. I think he kicked the opponents more than he kicked the ball.
He has coached his team in that same style, so fiercely determined to win.
Latest Chelsea news
FORGOTTEN FILIPE
Three or four years ago, Atletico were a defensive side and you looked at them as a ‘1-0 team’.
But now they score far more goals and can play spectacular football, like they did when they beat Leverkusen 4-2 away last season.
One of the things that has helped is getting Filipe Luis back.
I’m not sure why it didn’t work for him at Chelsea — after all, he speaks excellent English.
But sometimes you go to a club and just don’t feel at home.
He is a very smart player and knows when to join the attack.
He will look to exploit Chelsea down their right and target the space in front of and behind Victor Moses. Luis is happy defensively as a left-back but comes into the midfield to give them that outlet on the flanks.
KANTE FOR CONTE
This will be a really good tactical battle between the coaches.
At times, both Simeone and Conte are prepared to put eight or nine behind the ball — but, when they sense the chance, they want to counter at pace and with numbers.
But N’Golo Kante is one of the best signings in Chelsea’s history.
He is the ultimate team player. He can close a game down but also pass the ball.
For me, Kante was the reason Leicester won the title in 2016 and one of the key reasons Chelsea won it last season.
Atletico will try to drag him out of position but Kante is very shrewd.
He knows what he has to do and is always in the right place for the team.
MORE FOR MORATA
I’m not surprised at how well Alvaro Morata has done for Chelsea.
When it looked as if Dortmund were going to lose Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang, I said they should go after Morata because he is a player who will score if he gets chances.
He’s still a young guy but this is his big chance to play as the leader of the line in a big club. I bet a lot of other clubs wish they had taken him now.
PREDICTION: Atletico Madrid 1 Chelsea 1
Tweet @LMatthaeus10 and facebook.com/lothar.matthaeus
