Giovanni Lavezzi
Atletico Madrid’s players were warned by manager Diego Simeone ahead of their Champions League clash with Liverpool on Wednesday that they should not expect a polite welcome at Anfield.
Simeone knows the value of a good reception when it comes to the biggest matches of all, and he knows only too well the pain of a 2-0 defeat in the space of six minutes at Liverpool’s Anfield stadium.
Last year Atletico drew level at 2-2 with the hosts having lost 2-0 inside the first hour but eventually lost the game in stoppage time after a goal from their defender Virgil van Dijk.
Simeone was also licking his wounds after a 3-0 defeat at Athletic Bilbao on Saturday and was unhappy with the way his team had collapsed in the second half when they conceded two goals in three minutes. He said: “I don’t think it was a lack of motivation that happened to us in Bilbao. It was a lack of awareness, switching off.”
Switching off seems to be the last thing on Simeone’s mind as he prepares his team to face Liverpool. “We are coming into a marvellous stadium, a great atmosphere. We have to look at the start of the game as it will be full on. We have few clean sheets in our last 16 Champions League games and we have not won our last five games in England,” said Simeone.
The defeat at Bilbao was compounded by the fact that striker Julian Alvarez had gone on holiday before returning for training only to be told he was not fit to play. Alvarez had been close to a transfer to Barcelona but missed two days of training while he was on holiday. Simeone was asked about Alvarez’s fitness for Wednesday’s game but was unwilling to criticise him. “The last two days he was ill, I don’t see he could start tomorrow, but I am sure he could help at some point in the game,” said Simeone.
Striker Jonathan David had joined Atletico on loan from Juventus at the start of September and was making his second substitute appearance of the season on Friday. Simeone was asked about his chances of starting on Wednesday. “Jonathan has only just arrived,” said Simeone. Neither David nor Alvarez are expected to start on Wednesday but both are likely to come on as substitutes at some point.
Despite the recent misery for Atletico against their Merseyside rivals, Simeone reminded his players that they had beaten Liverpool in the last 16 of the Champions League in 2020. His men drew 1-1 with Liverpool at Anfield in the second leg of that tie but progressed to the quarter-finals with a 4-2 aggregate win after a 1-0 win in the first leg in Madrid.
Meanwhile, Liverpool’s preparations for the game were disrupted when their Spanish boss Andoni Iraola drew a 2-0 victory over Ipswich Town on Friday. Iraola enjoyed his first win of the campaign after taking charge of the club from Arne Slot. Whether he can replicate the success of his predecessor against Atletico remains to be seen.
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