The Greatest of all Time

Chapter 503 Return Game Against Atlético Madrid

With the return Champions League game against Atlético Madrid around the corner, the Juventus players worked harder than ever. They spent most of their waking hours honing their tactics with the clear intent of defeating Atlético Madrid again. And in such a manner, the days quickly passed, and Tuesday, which happened to be the Champions League matchday, arrived.

On that day, at 9:00 in the morning, the UEFA officials organized mandatory pre-match press conferences for both teams. And naturally, Coach Diego Simeone, who had just arrived in Turin with his players, took the interview. He answered questions from journalists representing various famous media houses within the comfort of Hotel Galant's spacious conference room.

"Coach Diego!" A reporter from BeIN Sports called out. "During the first leg against Juventus in Madrid, you lost the game after conceding three goals, all scored by Zachary Bemba, who has been in great form this season. So, coach! Tell us! How do you plan to stop Zachary and the rest of Juventus' attacking force tonight?"

"I won't discuss our tactics here on live television," Coach Diego Simeone answered. "But I can say with a hundred percent confidence that we're ready and well-prepared to handle whatever Juventus throws at us. As you said, the Juventus attacking players, especially Zachary, Andrea Pirlo, Carlos Tevez, Fernando Llorente, and Alvaro Morata, have all been in fine form. When combined, their attacking prowess is probably rated among the best three in Europe at the moment. But don't forget that Atlético Madrid is a team accustomed to playing against tough opposition. On many occasions, we've faced off against Barcelona, Real Madrid, and many others but come out on top. I believe we can do the same against Juventus and win this game. That's my honest belief."

"Thank you for your response, Coach Diego Simeone," A reporter from Sky Italia said. "What is your minimum expectation for your players during this match? Is it a draw, or do you wish for Atlético Madrid to win the game?"

"Of course, we're here to win the game," Coach Diego Simeone replied emphatically. "Over the past few days, we've been working hard and preparing for this game. As a team, we're in the best condition, and we'll step onto the pitch with the sole goal of defeating Juventus. We want to win, get three more points, and then qualify for the knock-out stage of the Champions League. That's our sole objective here in Turin."

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In the meantime, Massimiliano Allegri, Juventus' coach, also attended to his press duties at the Vinovo, Juventus' training center. As usual, he was in his sleek black suit, matched with a white shirt and black tie, as he replied to the questions fired out by the journalists in attendance.

"Coach!" A reporter from La Gazzetta dello Sport called out. "You have won all your Champions League group games, thus amassing 15 points from five opening matches. As such, you've already qualified for the knock-out stage since you're eight points clear of the second-placed Atlético Madrid. Considering all that, do you plan to rest some of your crucial players, like Zachary, Andrea Pirlo, and Carlos Tevez, especially since this match is practically meaningless in the grand scheme of things?"

Coach Allegri chuckled and said, "As professional athletes, we always yearn to compete against the best in the world. So, as a team, we'll always welcome a game against Atlético Madrid, who happen to be the Spanish champions. We'll do all we can to defeat them and continue our winning streak in all competitions."

"But again," the coach continued with a smile, "the season is quite long, and we have a tight schedule coming up. Taking all that into account, we have to rest some of our players at certain times to ensure they remain in tip-top condition throughout the season. That also applies to today's game."

"Does that mean that Zachary will not get to play today?" Another reporter hurriedly asked.

Coach Allegri smiled and answered, "I can't answer that question right now. But I can promise you'll get the answer to the question when the line-ups come out later today."

"Coach!" A Gazzetta del Popolo reporter in the front row said immediately after raising her arm. "A few weeks ago, Patrice Evra suffered a knock while playing for France and hasn't featured in any games for Juventus since then? What's the status of his injury at the moment? Is he able to return to the match line-up today night?"

On hearing the question, Coach Allegri sighed and shook his head. "Unfortunately," he said, "Patrice Evra suffered another setback during training on Sunday evening. The medical exams he took yesterday revealed that he'd strained the hamstring of his left thigh. He'll be out for six more weeks, meaning he can only return to action during January."

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Later that day, just one and a half hours before the highly anticipated kick-off between Juventus and Atlético Madrid, the line-ups came out. And as promised, Coach Allegri remained true to his word and benched a few crucial players.

The players in his starting 4-3-1-2 formation were Marco Storari (as Goalkeeper), Paolo De Ceglie, Federico Mattiello, Giorgio Chiellini, and Leonardo Bonucci (as the defenders), Arturo Vidal, Simone Padoin, and Claudio Marchisio (as the defensive midfielders), Roberto Pereyra (as the only attacking midfielder) plus Fernando Llorente and Álvaro Morata (as the two strikers). As for the on-form crucial players, like Zachary, Andrea Pirlo, Gianluigi Buffon, Carlos Tevez, and Stephan Lichtsteiner, the coach had left them on the bench for that specific game.

On the other hand, Diego Simeone's starting 4-2-3-1 formation included all the famous Atlético Madrid names, such as Mario Mandzukic, Koke, Antoine Griezmann, Diego Godín, and Gabi, among others. The coach had obviously brought out all his big guns since he had to win the game in order to avoid the unfortunate fate of dropping out of the Champions League at the group stage.

One and half hours quickly passed after the release of the line-ups, and soon the clock hands around Turin pointed to the 8:45 PM mark. And as scheduled, the battle between Juventus and Atlético Madrid kicked off right on time within the packed Juventus Stadium.

For Atlético Madrid, it was a must-win game. Thus, immediately after the kick-off, the players in striped red and white jerseys poured forward like a swarm of starving locusts. They began to utilize high-pressing tactics to mount pressure on Juventus, and it wasn't long before they won possession.

From there on, they quickly gained momentum and started dictating the proceedings on the field of play. They were unlike the Atlético Madrid from weeks ago as they launched relentless attacks against Juventus for the next few minutes.

Their creativity on the pitch continued blooming as the game continued, and through their creative forward players like Mario Mandzukic, Koke, and Antoine Griezmann, they came close to scoring a couple of times. They were unquestionably the better team, even though they were playing in front of a very hostile audience of Juventus fans.

Nevertheless, they couldn't break down Juventus' tenacious defense, no matter how hard they tried during the first half. That was because players like Giorgio Chiellini, and Leonardo Bonucci, the two center-backs, did their utmost to thwart most of Atlético Madrid's attempts on goal. And with the two Italians holding the backline, the score remained 0:0 until halftime.

After the fifteen-minute halftime break, both teams emerged unchanged, with neither coach introducing any substitute. As a result, Atlético Madrid remained the better team on paper and thus continued dictating the tempo on the pitch.

Contrary to their usual practice, the impressive attacking and passing capabilities of the Atlético Madrid players were there for everybody to see as the game proceeded forward. At times, they would utilize lightning-fast one-two exchanges to break through the middle, while at other times, they would play an unexpected long ball to find Mario Mandzukic, their highly-clinical center forward. They kept Juventus guessing with their ever-changing tactics before eventually finding the back of the net through an outside-of-the-box shot from Koke during the 62nd minute. And with that, the deadlock was finally ripped apart, and the score became 1:0 in favor of the visitors.

The referee's whistle sounded after the goal celebrations, and the game restarted with most fans thinking that Atlético Madrid would press their advantage and continue playing attacking football. Even the commentators believed that the team from Madrid was out for blood, and they would launch more spirited attacks against Juventus to get more goals.

But as the game continued, both fans and commentators soon became wide-eyed as they realized that they couldn't have been more wrong while predicting the development of the match situation.

Contrary to the expectations of many, the Atlético Madrid players returned to their old ways and started playing defensive football during the 70th minute. And as such, all the men in the red and white striped jerseys began falling back often to absorb the very-same pressure they had clearly invited from Juventus with their switch of tactics.