Chelsea took advantage of Atlético's doubts to leave your spirits a little more touched. The rojiblancos did not have their best night in exile in Bucharest and, after betting on 0-0, he returned with a 0-1 to be traced. And the numbers largely explain what happened. Because many times those of Simeone have been able to dominate without having more the ball and even having more chances when it seemed to be subdued. Against the British, Atleti neither commanded nor finished. In London you will have to improve that.
El Cholo returned from Romania regretting a very negative fact of his: not a shot at goal. There were dangerous approaches and deflected shots, but nothing that demanded of Mendy, whose greatest troubles he lived with the ball at his feet. Of Suárez, his scorer, two arrivals stood out, one to Correa's pass who failed to clinch after throwing himself to the ground and another, also assisted by the 10, who did shoot but against a defender. No rojiblanco made more than one shot, for a total of three out and three blocked. Scarce.
Nor has Atlético tried to fight the ball against Chelsea. Beyond some moments of high pressure, especially in the first half, the rojiblancos opted for a low block to close the roads to those of Tuchel. So, until the break, the team blue handled 71.3% of possession. In the second half, things were equalized and Atleti had the ball 46% of the time. And Chelsea, controlling the ball, were not in a hurry to need it when it was taken away: committed 21 by 9 o'clock for the rojiblancos.
Correa, between Kovacic and Jorginho.
JESUS ALVAREZ ORIHUELA (DIARIO AS)
Jorginho and Kovacic, kings of the pass
The numbers also explain that Chelsea was more successful in moving the ball. From the headlines, all exceeded 80% of success in the pass except Mount (78.8%), which was the one that took the most risk. At Atlético, only Saúl (93.3%), Koke (84%) and Savic (80.8%) they can boast of that level of precision. In the totals, of course, Chelsea won in number of good passes: 398 to 680. In the opposite field, Koke and Correa they gave 18 good passes, the rojiblancos who more. At Chelsea, only Giroud (12 and Werner (16) delivered less. Jorginho he left until 68 and Kovacic, at 64.
Nevertheless, those of possession and passes are numbers that worry less to the rojiblancos, because on other occasions he has delivered the ball and the feeling of false dominance, when in reality the game was controlled by Atleti. Yes it is more serious to leave the meeting without testing the goalkeeper. The London appointment will be very different and, in the end, it will be the result that guides the analysis. But Simeone knows where he has room for improvement to turn around the Bucharest setback.