Ten-man Atletico Madrid held Arsenal to a 1-1 draw in the first leg of their Europa League semi-final, giving them a slight advantage heading into second leg in Madrid next week.
Arsene Wenger and Diego Simeone will go into that leg in differing moods, with Wenger no doubt disappointed that his side couldn’t make the most of their man advantage.
Here’s an in-depth look at how the two managers fared.
STATS
ARSENAL
Goals – 1
Shots – 28
Possession – 76%
Tackles – 20
Dribbles – 22
ATLETICO MADRID
Goals – 1
Shots – 6
Possession – 24%
Tackles – 20
Dribbles – 6
30-SECOND REPORT
Wenger
Wenger’s usual 4-3-3 was in operation again, with no surprises in his selection given the lengthy injury list. His side was set up to control the game and create chances, and they did so with aplomb.
Familiar frailties popped up, however, as between an inspired Jan Oblak in the Atletico goal and slightly below-par finishing, the Gunners only scored once, while another defensive error cost them the win.
Simeone
Simeone stuck to his usual 4-4-2 but saw his plans disrupted when right-back Sime Vrsaljko was sent off for a second yellow in just the ninth minute. His reaction to that decision saw him sent to the stands himself, hindering his side.
However, he got his tactical decisions spot on. He didn’t rush to change things after the sending off, and later substitutions helped shore up his disadvantaged side.
Wenger was left ruing his side’s defensive frailty.
TACTICAL TALKING POINTS
Wenger
NO FAITH IN HIS BENCH
Perhaps it was because his team was in such control, perhaps it was the fact that injuries had left his bench weak, but Wenger didn’t make a single substitution during the game. At the very least, once Atletico scored, bringing on Alex Iwobi or Eddie Nketiah on to chase a winner would have made sense. The visitors had no attacking ambition at that point, while Arsenal needed a goal to at least take a lead to Madrid.
Will his faith in his starting XI cost him?
Simeone
STICKING TO HIS GUNS
Whenever a side is reduced to 10 men so early in a game, any manager would be tempted to make tweaks or even wholesale changes to add cover to the side. Credit to Simeone for not panicking – from a tactical sense, at least, if not from an emotional one – and trusting his team to adjust.
Thomas Partey, who had started off in midfield, began to cover at right-back, a position he has played before. Everyone else knew their role – a sign of a well-drilled team.
VERDICT
Wenger
It’s hard to say that Wenger got something wrong, other than his lack of substitutions. Arsenal had enough chances to take a sizable lead into the second leg. The team set-up was right, and they should have scored enough goals to be in command of this tie.
Rating – 7/10
Simeone
Simeone loses points for getting himself sent off. He was no doubt incensed at Vrsaljko’s sending off – although both yellow cards were justified – but in a European semi-final, losing his cool like that was inexcusable. But his team redeemed him with their performance under pressure.
Rating – 7/10
