Hernan Crespo said Diego Simeone’s Atletico Madrid tactics are not new. “Now they call it Cholismo, but it’s just Catenaccio.”
Atleti face Real Madrid in the Champions League Final this evening at San Siro.
“If I were Cholo, I’d do what he’s always done when facing stronger opponents: leave them the ball and wait,” Crespo told the Corriere dello Sport newspaper.
“If I get the chance, put in a long ball for Antoine Griezmann and Fernando Torres. Sooner or later, something will happen.
“Simeone’s style is called ‘Cholismo’ now, but it’s just Catenaccio by another name. I prefer to see teams with a more attack-minded approach, but my friend Cholo has done very well to create this perfect mechanism.
“He convinced the players to put themselves in the background compared to the collective. The team is everything, not the individual.
“Only by putting their talents to the service of the team can they be so compact, gritty and determined.”
As for Real Madrid and Zinedine Zidane, Crespo has advice for him too.
“Zidane knows his players are stronger in the one-on-one situations than the opposition. Therefore he must put them in a condition to face these individual duels.
“He certainly shouldn’t press Atletico high, as they need to be invited forward. When there’s space, attack with the arrow-quick runs.
“If you’ve got Cristiano Ronaldo in the side, he must be put in a position to take men on.
“Zidane has done simple things and usually that’s the right way to go. As the players were so unhappy with Rafa Benitez, he decided to do the complete opposite.
“With big champions you don’t need to invent anything new as a Coach, just control the situation with intelligence and wisdom.
“If Ronaldo wants to have physiotherapy or an exercise routine at 3am, you let him do it.”
The last time these sides met in the Champions League Final, it went to extra time and Carlo Ancelotti’s Real Madrid emerged the winners.
“I think it’ll go to extra time again, as I see a lot of balance here. Real must maintain their cool, because Atletico are so good at provoking, breaking up the tempo and stopping the opposition from playing.
“At the same time, Atleti must be careful not to over-do it with the non-football, as they have to do something in order to lift the trophy.
“Simeone is a friend, he’s from Argentina and he also created something. He learned the lessons of defensive football from Italy and took them to Spain, teaching them in turn to the players. He should be appreciated for that.”