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MADRID, SPAIN - FEBRUARY 18: Saul Niguez of Atletico Madrid celebrates 1-0 during the UEFA Champions ... [+] League match between Atletico Madrid v Liverpool at the Estadio Wanda Metropolitano on February 18, 2020 in Madrid Spain (Photo by Eric Verhoeven/Soccrates/Getty Images)

Some of the sides Atltico Madrid have beaten at home in Champions League knockout ties under Diego Simeone: Juventus, Real Madrid, Barcelona (twice), Bayern Munich, Milan.

Liverpool.

The Spanish outfit fought from a well-organised base provided for them by their manager, and their opponents finished the game having not had a shot on target.

Another record which remains intact thanks to this result is that they have not lost a Champions League knockout game at home under the Argentine who joined the club in 2011.

To triumph here they needed to buck their own form, but also defeat a team who are defending European champions and have been literally unbeatable in their domestic league so far this season.

MADRID, SPAIN - FEBRUARY 18: (THE SUN OUT, THE SUN ON SUNDAY OUT) Jurgen Klopp manager of Liverpool ... [+] with Diego Simeone manager of Atletico Madrid before the UEFA Champions League round of 16 first leg match between Atletico Madrid and Liverpool FC at Wanda Metropolitano on February 18, 2020 in Madrid, Spain. (Photo by John Powell/Liverpool FC via Getty Images)

Liverpool did lose to Napoli in the Champions League in September, and Atltico set up using a similar 4-4-2 setup to the one used by the Serie A side who were then coached by Carlo Ancelotti.

Klopps side generally struggle against this formation, and most of their defeats in Europe in recent seasons have come against sides playing this shape.

Napoli in group stage matches, both this season and last season, Crvena Zvezda in the groups last season, and the 3-0 defeat in the first leg of last seasons semi-final against Barcelona at Camp Nouall 4-4-2

And so it was for Atleti here. It wasnt pretty but it was effective. It was typical Atltico Madrid. Typical Simeone.

The star at Atltico is the team. It could be argued it is Simeone, but with just one win in their last five La Liga matches, and a Copa del Rey exit at the hands of third tier team Cultural Leonesa, it was time for the coach and his team to step up.

Having the third best defence in Europes top five leagues is all well and good, but someone needs to score. Better call Sal.

The Spaniard pounced on a loose ball which had wriggled through to him via a couple of Liverpool defenders, and he finished well over Alisson and inside the far post.

MADRID, SPAIN - FEBRUARY 18: Thomas Partey of Atletico de Madrid competes for the ball with Sadio ... [+] Mane of Liverpool FC during the UEFA Champions League round of 16 first leg match between Atletico Madrid and Liverpool FC at Wanda Metropolitano on February 18, 2020 in Madrid, Spain. (Photo by Diego Souto/Quality Sport Images/Getty Images)

The goalscorer and his midfield partners in crime, Koke and Thomas Partey, made their midfield contemporaries in the oppositions lineup appear meek and rendered them ineffective.

The crowd helped them, creating a cauldron of noise, bellowing down onto the field to support their own players and intimidate Liverpools.

Every poor touch and every lost ball from the defending champions was greeted with cheers, every good touch with jeers. A potentially demorsalizing feeling for those in black and something they werent able to overcome.

Many of Liverpools best passes came from the back, especially from Joe Gomez who finished the game having completed more dribbles and more key passes than his midfield team-mates combined.

Granted, that isnt too difficult when those midfielders created no chances and completed no dribbles.

MADRID, SPAIN - FEBRUARY 18: (BILD ZEITUNG OUT) Head Coach Diego Simeone of Atletico de Madrid ... [+] gestures during the UEFA Champions League round of 16 first leg match between Atletico Madrid and Liverpool FC at Wanda Metropolitano on February 18, 2020 in Madrid, Spain. (Photo by Alejandro Rios/DeFodi Images via Getty Images)

Simeone gesticulated to the crowd, encouraging them to give one last effort in the final few minutes.

Meanwhile, Klopp was booked for protesting against a handball decision which was let go by the officials.

It summed up a night of frustration for Liverpool and a night of effective, well organised, hard work for the hosts.

Klopp will hope that the roles are reversed when the sides meet in the second leg at Anfield next month. It could prove even more difficult than overturning that 3-0 deficit against Barcelona on their way to glory last season.

View original post here:
How To Defeat Liverpool? Better Call Saul, Simeone And Atletico Madrid - Forbes

Liverpool can use their frustrating night in Spain as motivation to overturn a 1-0 deficit against Atletico Madrid, according to Andy Robertson.

The Champions League holders were beaten at Estadio Metropolitano as they found no way through a firm Atleti defence after Saul Niguez gave the hosts the lead just four minutes into the first leg.

Robertson rued the difficulties the Reds ran into as their La Liga opponents diligently sat deep and blocked space, but insists the tie remains very much alive.

Tough one, he told Liverpoolfc.com.

Obviously we couldnt have got off to a much worse start, especially for a team that likes defending leads and is really good at it. It was a tough one.

We kept going, I thought we dealt with some situations really well. We created chances of our own, we dominated large parts of the game but we just couldnt quite get the goal.

Its unfortunate but its only half-time. We need to go back to Anfield and we need to bring that same performance if not better. And hopefully we have enough to get through.

The left-back, who avoided a booking that would have ruled him out of the return match, continued: There were very limited chances at both ends, to be honest.

Hendos was probably our best chance, it just snuck by. A couple of situations we were in good positions and we just couldnt find that killer pass or the luck of the bounce didnt quite go for us. These are things that will hopefully change.

Weve got a couple of big Premier League games coming up but we look forward to the second leg. Were underdogs and weve proven before thats dangerous. Hopefully we can do it again but we know how tough its going to be.

Comebacks are nothing new for this team, of course.

The last European knockout game at Anfield saw them recover from a heavier defeat by Barcelona to win 4-0 and reach the Champions League final that they won in June.

Robertson acknowledged that the players will have to equal the energy in the stands on March 11 if they are to eliminate Atletico with another turnaround.

Yes, but we cant take that for granted, he said of the potential influence of Anfield. We cant rely on Anfield to get us through.

We probably need our fans more than ever, to be honest. We need them to be as loud as ever louder than Barcelona at home, louder than Roma at home.

And if we can create that atmosphere that might give the lads the extra boost we need. Its a Champions League night at Anfield, the lads will be up for it regardless but it always helps with the fans.

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'It's only half-time, we look forward to the second leg' - Liverpool FC

Chelseas path to the Champions League places last season was not an easy one.

During a stormy season with Maurizio Sarri at the helm, the club managed to keep their nose ahead of their top 4 rivals through the spring.

They werent great, but they were better than their competition, and in the end the collapse of the rest of the chasing pack meant the Blues were able to stumble over the line.

Getting into the Champions League was one thing, and essential for attracting top players and keeping the clubs finances healthy. But its not just about getting in, its about making progress and trying to lift club footballs biggest prize for a second time.

Champions League odds for this season dont list us as one of the favourites. In fact, you wont find many past seasons where Chelsea have been bigger outsiders for the trophy.

The tough draw we got for this second round hasnt helped, with our old enemies Bayern Munich coming out of the hat to take us on next week.

The Bavarians will always be keen to avenge the 2012 final, and this year the added spice of the Callum Hudson-Odoi transfer saga that ended just 12 months ago will also add interest.

Chelsea manager Frank Lampard played in the 2012 final, as well as several high profile clashes before that. His spinning, chested control followed by a left-foot volley against the German giants was one of his most memorable goals in our colours, and this will be a special game for him too.

Its a first European knockout game for the rookie manager and for a lot of these players too. Fans arent expecting them to win the bookies certainly arent but they are expecting their team to put in a spirited performance, as they did repeatedly in the group stage.

This is all part of the teams growth, and its important that its a positive experience, whether they go through or not.

Lampard will hope to have Christian Pulisic back to full fitness by then, and hopefully Tammy Abraham will have shaken off the ankle problem that sees him playing with painkilling injections at the moment.

It will come too soon for Ruben Loftus-Cheek, unfortunately, and he will be desperate to see him teammates go through not only for the sake of the team, but also so that he has a shot at his own Champions League debut.

Whatever happens in the tie, Chelsea can come away a better team, more experienced and more prepared for next year, when we should be back among the favourites to win the competition.

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Chelsea can come out of Bayern tie a better team even if they lose - Talk Chelsea

JAMMU: The ground at the Government Gandhi Memorial Science College here wore a carnival look on the eve Jammu & Kashmir's Ranji Trophy quarter-final encounter on Wednesday.

Buntings and canopies were being erected even as the gates got a fresh coat of paint. Amidst all the festivity, it was hard to miss the security personal around. Understandably, Karnataka skipper Karun remarked: "Too close for comfort." However, for the locals here, it is a part of life.

With the political turmoil cutting the valley off from the rest of the country in August last year, cricket and cricketers too were among the sufferers. The match, the first knockout game here, is like soothing balm from the harsh grind.

The whole situation is not lost on the home team. They want to go all out to make the efforts of the people here count. The only way they can do it is by playing a fearless brand of cricket, a challenge they have embraced with zeal.

"After 2014, this is the first time we have reached the quarterfinals and it is a proud moment for all of us. Our progress is the result of all the hard work put in by various stakeholders of the game in the state." pointed out Jammu and Kashmir skipper Parvez Rasool.

"This match is historic for us because we are playing a quarterfinal match at home for the first time," added the 31-year-old all-rounder, who missed the first four games of the season due to injury and tracked the team's performance while undergoing rehabilitation at the National Cricket Academy in Bengaluru.

Talking about the impact of the match being held here, the captain said: "It is a big deal for people here when the stars they watch on television come and play in front of them. I'm sure it will have a huge impact and go a long way in helping Jammu cricket grow."

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Ranji Trophy: A soothing balm at testing times in Jammu & Kashmir - Times of India

For most Manchester United supporters, finishing outside the Premier Leagues top-four for a second successive season is an unthinkable prospect.

But with United six points adrift of fourth-placed Chelsea and among a hefty contingent of teams vying for the final Champions League spot, it has become a distinct possibility.

The thought of United lining up in the Europa League next season is a repulsive one for the Red Devils faithful and without the allure of elite European competition, the chances of world-class talent being brought to Old Trafford are significantly reduced.

That being said, manager Ole Gunnar Solskjaer will have to do everything in his power to avoid that eventuality but would the best course of action be to abandon Uniteds league endeavours, and turn attentions elsewhere?

When United won the Europa League in the 2016-17 season, it was widely accepted that it was down to then-manager Jose Mourinhos decision to focus primarily on the second-tier European competition, rather than the Premier League.

As United progressed further in the Europa League, it became more and more apparent that their best chance of securing Champions League football would be by winning the competition, rather than finishing in the top-four of the league.

Mourinho played his strongest teams in Europe while downplaying the importance of the Premier League, and was dully rewarded with Champions League football as well as a trophy.

This could be something Soskjaer replicates this season, in the hope that he can tempt top-class players to United in the summer and then potentially challenge for the league next campaign something Mourinho failed to do.

Although it is perhaps a little too early for United to down tools in the race for the top-four, their first knockout game in the Europa League is fast approaching.

Solskjaers side come up against Belgian side Club Brugge who will by no means be a walkover they have lost just once in the league all season.

United cannot afford to take the Brugge game lightly, and their squads strength-in-depth will be tested once again.

Solskjaers options are set to be bolstered however ahead of the round of 32 tie Scott McTominay and Paul Pogba are scheduled to return after long injury lay-offs, while new signings Bruno Fernandes and Odion Ighalo will provide added quality.

When it is considered that United will have four additional, top-class players at their disposal when the Europa League recommences, there is the possibility that they will indeed have the squad to compete on multiple fronts.

United have been dreadfully inconsistent in the league this campaign, yet are still in touching distance of fourth place largely without the influence of those four players.

With the likes of Pogba and Fernandes starting regularly, United could make a real push towards the top-four while squad-players like Ighalo help them maintain a run in the Europa League.

Only time will tell whether Solskajer is either forced into a top-four dogfight after elimination from Europe, or whether he takes a risk by putting all his eggs into the Europa League basket.

The concern for United fans is whether Solskjaer has the tactical nous to win the Europa League Mourinho was renowned for his ability to achieve results, regardless of performance something that is vital in a knockout competition.

Solskjaer would be taking a huge risk if he opts for that route into the Champions League, and anything other than lifting the trophy would be seen as a massive error of judgment.

The coming weeks may see Uniteds boss forced into a decision sooner than he would like the Red Devils play Chelsea next in the Premier League as they look to close the gap to fourth place, before heading to Brugge just three days later.

A loss to Chelsea would be a serious blow to Uniteds top-four aspirations, but the game against Brugge could offer a lifeline to their Champions League hopes.

Whatever the results of the two games Solskjaer will be presented with a dilemma, but two wins would make that dilemma far less painful to solve.

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Should Manchester United give up on a top-four finish? - Soccity