At a Glance:
- Arsenal are set to face Atletico Madrid over two legs in the Champions League semi-finals.
- The Gunners are looking to reach the final of Europe’s elite club competition for the first time since 2006.
- Adrian Clarke has revealed what Arsenal can expect from Diego Simeone’s side.
Arsenal visit Atletico Madrid in the Champions League on Wednesday night at the Wanda Metropolitano, and pundit Adrian Clarke has laid out exactly what Mikel Arteta should expect from Diego Simeone’s side.
The Gunners eased past Sporting CP in the last round, setting up a fascinating semi-final tie against a buoyant Atletico. The North London outfit have the chance to book their spot in the final in Budapest, in what would be just their second ever final in this competition.
This historic feat is in Arteta’s sights, and Arsenal should be confident about their ability to achieve it. Atletico have lost six of their last nine matches across all competitions, and Clarke believes Simeone’s playing style could suit the Gunners.
Adrian Clarke explains Atletico Madrid’s stylistic change ahead of Arsenal clash
Atletico have built a reputation for being a defensively resilient side, focused on their rigid structure and pragmatic deployment of wide players, which helps them negate the opposition. This has been Simeone’s identity since he took over at the Spanish club, and they’re rarely swayed from these stringent principles.
However, this has changed over the last couple of years. The Argentine has become more open to a more expansive style, and they’re no longer the dogged defensive team they once were.
Speaking on his YouTube channel, Arsenal expert and analyst Clarke explained what Gunners supporters can expect from this iteration of Atletico ahead of the upcoming Champions League semi-final tie.
“First up, we’ve got that Champions League game over there in Atletico Madrid,” he said.
“The Wanda Metropolitano. That is going to be a test. That is going to be a wild game. They’re not the Simeone team of old. They don’t low block. They attack, attack, attack.
“They want to come at you. It’ll be a press-off. So they will press, press, press. That means there will be space in behind for us to hurt them. But they will have moments. When they let us have the ball, I think that they don’t defend brilliantly, so we’ll create chances.
“Hopefully, it’ll be quite open. But, if we lose the ball, bang, they come at you really hard and really fast. Obviously, in Julian Alvarez, they’ve got a real world-class front player that can really hurt you.”
Arsenal’s athleticism will be crucial vs Atletico Madrid
In recent months, Arsenal fans have lamented their team’s lack of technical quality in forward areas, and understandably so. The Gunners have clearly focused on recruiting physical specimens rather than technicians, and this has hindered them in certain areas.
However, against Atletico, their athleticism will be crucial. As Clarke pointed out, Simeone’s team are a high-octane pressing side, who will look to push Arsenal up the pitch when the Gunners have possession.
That said, Simeone doesn’t necessarily have the tools at his disposal to maintain this intense approach for 90 minutes, particularly in the middle of the park. 34-year-old Koke can be outrun by Declan Rice and Martin Zubimendi, while Marcos Llorente is somewhat physically limited.
Thus, Arsenal’s superior physical power should benefit them massively over the course of this match-up. This extends to the full-back areas, with Nahuel Molina and Matteo Ruggeri susceptible to being beaten for pace.
