"Lucky to always be accompanied by extraordinary players" - Diego Simeone makes bold claim on Pep Guardiola ahead of Manchester City vs Atletico Madrid
Atletico Madrid manager Diego Simeone has claimed Manchester City boss Pep Guardiola has been 'lucky' throughout his career. Simeone's side face City at the Etihad Stadium this evening in the first leg of their UEFA Champions League quarter-final.
The Argentine discussed some of the players Pep Guardiola has managed in the past. He went on to claim that the Spaniard has been very fortunate to be able to coach some of the world's greatest players.
Before Diego Simeone took the Atletico Madrid job in 2011, he went to Barcelona to see how Pep Guardiola’s revolutionary first great side worked.
The two got really deep on the fine details of the game, from how high you press, to how you attack tight spaces. [Independent]
Speaking to Vamos in a pre-match interview, Simeone said:
"I have never been able to have the chance to have Xavi, Busquets, Piqué, Iniesta, Messi... Beyond Guardiola's great talent, he was lucky to always be accompanied by extraordinary players."
Pep Guardiola has won 29 trophies in a glittering managerial career and has undeniably been given more money to spend by his clubs than Simeone. The Argentine has been in charge at Los Colchoneros since 2011, winning two La Liga titles and reaching two Champions League finals in that time.
Transfermarkt reports that Simeone has spent €1.05 billion during his time at the Spanish club while also being forced to sell several star players.
Guardiola, meanwhile, has been allowed to spend €1.76 billion in his time as a manager at Barcelona, Bayern Munich and the current Premier League champions.
Simeone: ''Nunca he podido tener la posibilidad de tener a los Xavi, Busquets, Piqué, Iniesta, Messi... Más allá del gran talento que tiene Guardiola, tuvo la suerte de estar acompañado siempre de extraordinarios jugadores''.
#NoticiasVamos, 20:30h con @sguasch y @carlosplus. https://t.co/Sv5UEI4veJ
Atletico Madrid looking to continue Manchester City's Champions League disappointment
Tonight's clash in Manchester will be the first-ever competitive meeting between the two European heavyweights.
However, Pep Guardiola will be wary of the last time he faced Simeone in the Champions League. Guardiola's Bayern side were dumped out at the semi-final stage in 2016 on away goals, thanks to a determined effort by Simeone's Atletico.
The German club won the second leg in Munich. Despite having 73% possession and 33 shots compared to Atleti's seven, the victory on the night wasn't enough for them to progress.
24 games
15 wins
4 defeats
9 wins
Pep's record vs Atlético Madrid as a player;
👕24 games
😀15 wins
😭4 defeats
Pep's record vs Atlético Madrid as a coach;
🏟12 games
💪9 wins
😭3 defeats
The last time they both met in the Champions League,Diego Simeone knocked out Pep Guardiola’s Bayern Munich.
#UCL https://t.co/ZhRcAh76QS
There is no doubt that Guardiola's main objective at City is to win the club's first-ever Champions League title. However, he has fallen short in each of his five full seasons at the club, including the defeat in last season's final against Premier League rivals Chelsea in Porto.
The Spanish legend has often been accused of overthinking his tactics in big European games. He even joked about this in his pre-match press conference, saying:
“In the Champions League, I always overthink. I always create new tactics and ideas, and tomorrow you will see a new one. I overthink a lot; that’s why I have very good results in the Champions League. I love it. It would be boring if I always played the same way."
🗣 “There’s a wrong conception about how he [Simeone] plays.”
Pep Guardiola says Diego Simeone doesn’t get the credit his Atlético Madrid side deserves when it comes to attacking. 💭 https://t.co/8dbqSvuGgC
Atletico defeated Manchester United 2-1 on aggregate over two legs in their round of 16 tie. Meanwhile, City dominated Sporting CP 5-0 on aggregate to book their place in the quarter-finals.