One of the best coaches in history whipped Simeone: “It doesn't give you joy even when you win”

The strategy used by Diego Pablo Simeone in the defeat of Atlético de Madrid to Manchester City and for the first leg of the Champions League quarterfinals, there is still something to talk about. It is that the fact that the last champion of Spain has not kicked the goal throughout the game and the coach has at times raised two lines out of five without strikers has aroused the anger of its main critics.

One of those who took the opportunity to attack the Argentine coach's outfit was Arrigo Sacchi, an Italian football legend, who won no less than two European Cups with Milan and led his country's national team to the final of the 1994 World Cup, which he lost to Brazil.

“He achieved great things and I think his experience in Italy has influenced him. The first thing is not to lose and then to see what happens,” he said in dialogue with the portal La Gazzettta dello Sport, recalling the passage of Cholo through Catania in the 2010/11 season. In this regard, he insisted that this way of standing on the pitch pleased him: “That way of playing tires the public, which asks for beauty, emotions”.

“(Simeone) They have a 'catenaccio' from the 60s, an old idea. What football is this? It doesn't give you joy even when you win. You succeed without deserving it, only with cunning. I don't like it and I'm surprised that the Spaniards, people accustomed to the beauty of football, accept it. Simeone has important moral values, he is a leader, he should do more, believe more in himself,” he said.

In this regard, he recalled an old match he saw from the stands with Pelé during Euro 2000 between Italy and the Netherlands: “In Euro 2000 I was in the stands next to Pelé during the Netherlands-Italy, which we won after having spent the whole game in defence. The Brazilian told me: 'A shame, they have good players, but they don't know how to play football'. Atlético does the same thing: defense, defense and defense.” He also recalled a brief dialogue he shared at that time with Dutch Gullit, whom he had directed at Milan: “He asked me why we weren't trying to focus and score goals with our head and I said no, that if we score a goal by bad luck, then we'll always play like this. I didn't want to.”

Sacchi, who was placed third in the list of the 50 best coaches in football history by the prestigious France Football magazine, also targeted Pep Guardiola for what he did his team against Atletico Madrid: “City didn't do much either. I don't remember many occasions beyond the goal, which was nice. It wasn't a fun game. Atleti didn't want to play football, but City had an obligation to do something else. They must have attacked the spaces more. I told Pep: 'If your team plays at high rates, looks for depth and stands out with the right times, it's unbeatable. If not... '. Coaches should have the courage to change when something doesn't work.”

Arrigo Sacchi marked an era in European football, when in the late 80s he took over Milan and won eight titles in his first three seasons, including two European Cups (now Champions League) and two Intercontinental Cups with a team that featured figures such as Marco van Basten, Ruud Gullit, Franco Baresi and Paolo Maldini, among others.

Later, he had steps through Parma and Atlético de Madrid, but what was most remembered was his time in the Italian national team between 1991 and 1996. In that period he reached the final of the 1994 World Cup, which he lost to penalties to Brazil. In his career he led footballers who incorporated several of his concepts and became great coaches such as Dutch Frank Rijkaard and Carlo Ancelotti, both champions of the Champions League as coaches, one from Barcelona and the other from Real Madrid, or Antonio Conte, multi-champion with Juventus and Chelsea.

The rematch between Atlético de Madrid and Manchester City will be on April 13 at Wanda Metropolitano and for that match the Spanish team is obliged to win if it wants to qualify for the semifinals. We will have to wait to see if Simeone is betting on a more offensive approach or repeats his strategy.

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