Manchester City, Phil Foden Foil Diego Simeone's Atletico Madrid Master Class Ahead of Key Week

MANCHESTER, ENGLAND - For about 70 minutes, Atletico Madrid put on a Diego Simeone master class at the Etihad Stadium. And then came Phil Foden.

The 21-year-old England midfielder was introduced in the 68th minute, and less than 90 seconds later Manchester City were 1–0 up and on their way to a perfect start for the 10-day period, which was their Definition could be abolished. Season.

The Premier League has Liverpool on Sunday, followed by the return leg in Madrid the following Tuesday, then the FA Cup semi-final with Liverpool at Wembley on Saturday. In just 20 minutes here, Foden made his case for starting them all.

He was such a gap in the first leg of the quarterfinals of the Champions League that when the final whistle blew, goal scorer Kevin De Bruyne offered a straight hug and a handshake. Had Foden remained on the bench, City could have found no way through Simeone's rigorous game plan and would have headed to Spain next week with a tie on a knife-edge.

Guardiola later said, "A tough game against a tough opponent, it's very difficult to find the gap." "They defend so well, so compact and so deep and we need talent like Phil has shown in small spaces. They can punish you on counterattacks because they are top, top players. Phil has a special Virtues. He is always welcoming and he has the courage to be of help to Kevin.

"It's a good result, unfortunately at the end we had one or two more chances, but 1-0 is good to go to Madrid. Honestly, I wasn't expecting to win 3- or 4-nil."

Games against Atletico are, by Simeone's design, often decided by fine margins, but Foden is close enough to thread a pinpoint pass through the tightest of spaces.

After the match, Simeone said, "We tried to keep it tight, used a counterattack. He didn't get a shot in the first half, but we couldn't hurt him either." "In the second half we had some more dangerous counterattacks, then he scored. A very tactical game, both [coaches] were seeing what he was trying to do."

Guardiola and Simeone wore the same long black coat at the touchline to protect against rain from Manchester, but their football style could not have been more different. Atletico's red-and-white shirt for a long time was trapped two rows in front of Jan Oblak's goal, while Guardiola spent most of the first half telling John Stones - his centre-back - to push up the pitch. After 20 minutes, City had recorded an 80% possession, although Guardiola was well aware of the danger lurking within the Spanish champion's low block.

Anytime Atletico pulled out a trap, even if it was from the edge of his own penalty area, Guardiola leaned on his technical area to put himself in the worst possible position. Twice in the opening five minutes, Atlético tried to play in the space behind Nathan Acke, deputizing left-back in the shuffle that saw Joao Cancillo go right-behind to compensate for Kyle Walker's absence via suspension. gone. But Atleti's threat to go ahead was limited throughout the night.

Speaking at his news conference on Monday, Guardiola stressed the notion that Atletico are a team focused primarily on defence. However, there was little to suggest otherwise in the first half. Simeone's side went at half-time without Ederson or even a corner shot. It may not be a fluke for football, but Atletico have turned defense into an art form, and with two-thirds of the game left, City's best chance was an Aymeric Laporte header from a corner.

"They're great," Guardiola said. "They've been together for many years. We've made very few things. They're very good at many things, and they have the patience and time to defend long enough. It's not easy to face a team with a lot of experience this tournament." In. We will go there to score and try to win again."

Appreciate Simeon's style or not, very few people are able to do so at the Etihad these days. City had failed to score in only one of their last 28 Champions League home games under Guardiola, but it was only when Foden came - introduced alongside Jack Grealish and Gabriel Jesus - that they made it to one of 29. Looking forward to making it. Almost immediately he picked up the ball in a tight spot on the edge of the box, pulled five Atletico defenders towards him and lifted his head and slammed De Bruyne for a pass. It was one of two outstanding moments of quality in the game, the other coming again from Foden when he danced his way down the byline to create another chance for De Bruyne.

"We thought he would start, he was very dynamic, very quick, powerful in finishing moves," Simeone said of Foden. "He came in the second half. Either of the three has good characteristics. I love watching Manchester play, the patience they have to play."

Atleti striker Joao Felix is ​​regularly discussed as a future Ballon d'Or winner, but Foden - a year younger - deserves a mention in the same conversation. Keep impressing the biggest sports and it won't take long for him to come to the center. He should get another chance against Liverpool on Sunday as City's season has reached a crucial stage. One down, three to go.