Ronaldo returns to Madrid in bid to haunt Atletico
In what was a long conversation with Spanish media about all the similarities between Juventus and Atletico Madrid, Giorgio Chiellini expressed one big difference on one major theme hanging over their tie.
“It’s not an obsession,” the defender insisted to Marca of the club’s grand pursuit of the Champions League. “A target, yes, but with serenity. We know that we are not the only team who wants to win it. There are five or six other teams that can win it.”
There is only one other team, however, that has come as close to winning it without doing so in the
current era. That is Atletico. Both have reached the final twice in that time, only to be beaten twice. They have become the competition’s “greatest” losers, and that doesn’t just apply to this era. Atletico are the club to have got to the most European Cup finals – with three – without ever winning one.
Juventus are the club to have lost the most finals, at a remarkable seven. The mere two trophies the Italians hold feels like huge underperformance, especially given their overwhelming historic dominance of domestic football.
Little wonder the two clubs and their managers are so singularly intent on winning the Champions League. Little wonder they bristle at suggestions it’s an obsession, because it could be fairly argued both have a considerable complex about the competition.
That isn’t all that history has done for the psychology of the teams, though. It has also created a vast amount of knowledge of the competition, a real canniness.
Their “failures” are only seen as such because of the vast amount of success they’ve enjoyed, the amount of Champions League ties they’ve actually won.
Such is that experience that these are two hugely intelligent sides that you very rarely outwit, and it is telling they have only really been beaten by wealthier clubs with much more star power.
For Juventus it’s been: Barcelona, Bayern Munich, Real Madrid… and Real Madrid. For Atletico it’s been: Real Madrid, Real Madrid Real Madrid, Real Madrid and, in a rare break last season, Roma and Chelsea in the group stage.
The point is that, generally, these clubs have – as Chiellini also alluded to in that interview – pushed themselves and their opposition to the limit.
Perhaps even more than more star-laden sides, you have to work out a way to beat them, then work very hard to beat them.
It means this tie could really push the limits in terms of tactical calculation, especially given how similar they are.
“The draw has not been easy because we have to play a team that is very like us in terms of values, ideals and features,” Chiellini said. “They are the closest thing to us in Europe… Atletico are a team with less of a Spanish philosophy and more of an Italian one. They play a very compact and vertical style and achieve
extraordinary results with players of great quality. [Antoine] Griezmann is an incredible player who can make a difference and he makes their game unpredictable.”
There is still one other player who stands out in this tie, because of the one club that stands out among the recent Champions League conquerors of both Atletico and Juve, and how he has made so many Madrid derbies so predictable: Cristiano Ronaldo.
He has scored a remarkable 22 goals against Atletico for Madrid, so often breaking them, and Chiellini feels he is now helping Juve go “beyond what we thought we could be, searching for new limits”.
He has effectively been brought in to win the Champions League. It will only energise Diego Simeone, though, to come up with something to finally eliminate him from the Champions League.
“We will use all our weapons,” the Atletico manager said. Few have as many tactical weapons as he does, beyond Juventus. And that has a meaning beyond this match.
It ensures that this is not just the most tactical tie of the last 16, and maybe the whole season. It may well be the most consequential, because of how it will clear the path.
Beyond the giants of Barca and Real Madrid, they are probably the two sides that everyone else most wants to avoid, because of how tough they are; because of how experienced they are; because of their recent performances in this competition.
Neither will ever collapse or have a bad day that can happen. Pep Guardiola knows this well enough. Leo Messi knows this well enough.
You are guaranteed a huge challenge against them.
Now, one of them is guaranteed to go out. That is an awful lot of Champions League experience and tactical intelligence for the competition to lose. It could yet prove influential for whoever ends up winning it.