Both Real Madrid and Atlético Madrid defeated their respective opponents in the UCL Playoffs to qualify for the next round in the competition. Of course, for two of Spain’s elite to even be in this position is a strange occurrence, but how they got over the line was also curious. Real Madrid played very Atleti-esque. Atlético ran rampage like the yesteryear teams of Real Madrid. Is the dynamic changing on either side of Madrid?
The Switch Up
Real Madrid played Benfica three times in a row in the competition. In every fixture, there were headlines, but none were related to Real Madrid’s dominance or performance. The first fixture was at the end of the league phase where Real Madrid choked late and conceded a late header to Benfica’s goalkeeper Anatoliy Trubin to knock themselves off automatic qualification. The next fixture was marred by racist overtones, abuse and violent behavior. And in the last fixture, even though Real Madrid won 2-1 on the night, both of their goals came from lapses in the middle of the park by Benfica players, which they, credit where it’s due, latched on to and made the most of.
I’ve said it before and it bears repeating: Atlético Madrid is the most inconsistent team in Europe right now. In just under a month, they beat Barcelona 4-0 in the Copa Del Rey. They lost the following weekend to Rayo Vallecano 3-0. Then they drew 3-3 to Club Brugge in the first leg of the playoff tie. In their subsequent league fixture they beat RCD Espanyol 4-2. And now they’ve beaten Club Brugge 4-1.
I am almost sure Atleti will now lose or draw in a disappointing manner in their next fixture against Real Oviedo, but for those 90 minutes at the Metropolitano, they played like a side reinvented. Fueled by Alexander Sørloth’s hat trick, Los Colchoneros beat their Belgian opponents 7-4 on aggregate. During this process they set a club record for most goals scored in a knockout tie in their history, besting the five they scored against AC Milan previously.
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With that, both Madrid teams went through to the next round, though with different characteristics than expected of them.
The Set-Up
Real Madrid are a team in an identity crisis right now. From the rigid systematic setup of Xabi Alonso to the free-flowing yet undefined soccer under Alvaro Arbeloa, Los Blancos have no clear personality. They lost the Supercopa de Espana final and had their manager sacked after conflicts in the dressing room. Their youth squad manager was promoted to the main side and immediately got knocked out in the Copa Del Rey by inferior opponents. Their injury list is also growing day by day, with Kylian Mbappé now the latest addition. This is not a good time for Real Madrid and the performances are showing on the pitch.
Fact: Many of Real Madrid’s league victories have been UNimpressive.
They scored twice against Benfica in the second leg but only had an xG of 0.98. In the first leg they managed to miss four big chances, saved only by a solitary golazo from Vinícius Jr to beat Anatoliy Trubin. In their victory against Real Sociedad they conceded more shots at goal than they took themselves and only managed to get lucky because of two penalty calls in their favor.
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Fact: Atlético Madrid’s last game was one of their best games
Atleti, meanwhile, came out all guns blazing against Club Brugge at the Metropolitano. Everyone in that team showed up to perform. Matteo Ruggeri, David Hancko, Marcos Llorente, Julian Álvarez and Jan Oblak, who even got an assist, performed exceptionally.
Even if Alexander Sørloth had not scored a hat trick, I am confident someone else, maybe Giuliano Simeone or Álvarez, might have gotten themselves on the scoresheet to see this game through. That is how dominantly Atleti stepped up.
Despite the difference in stature, Club Brugge were not a small opponent by any means. Atlético Madrid were 2-0 up by 45 minutes in the first leg but then the Belgians dragged them back to finish 3-3.
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Brugge started the second leg strong for the first 20 minutes and ended up having more possession, shots on target and accurate passes. But Atlético answered with attack, not defense. Every time Club Brugge would collect some momentum with forward runs, Simeone’s men would counter with their own attack through wonderful wide play. Alexander Sørloth was dropping deep and holding up play to let the runners like Giuliano and Alex Baena free to confuse the Brugge defenders.
Going forward, this should be the blueprint for the kind of soccer Diego Simeone should play for the rest of the season. Atlético Madrid played like Real Madrid. Real Madrid played like Atlético Madrid. How the tables have turned.
“I’m very happy, there’s a lot of hard work behind these results, which are starting to be more positive than negative.”
Diego Simeone
What’s Next after the UCL Playoffs?
Both Madrid teams now have interesting draws for the Round of 16. Atleti are sure to face a Premier League side, with Liverpool or Spurs being the option. Spurs are having a nightmare season, but they have been decent enough in the UCL to secure automatic qualification. Liverpool are always a formidable opponent, and with the Premier League now all but out of their reach, they will look to go as far as possible in the Champions League as they can.
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Real Madrid will face either Sporting Lisboa (another Portuguese side), or for the seemingly 700th time, Manchester City. UEFA surely has a fixation with watching Real Madrid play Manchester City, a game that has already happened in the league phase this season. Not just that, this match up has happened in the UCL knockouts in each of the last four years.
Surely UEFA can do some black magic so we do not end up with the same fixture yet again, but hey it’s definitely good for entertainment.
