Why Carrasco Should Miss out on Atletico Madrid Champions League Final Place

Atletico Madrid are preparing for their UEFA Champions League final against city rivals Real Madrid, hoping to end the season on a major positive having just fallen short in the race for La Liga’s title.

Diego Simeone’s squad is varied in its characteristics and attributes, but the overriding strength is in his tactical setup and his side’s ability to wear teams down, frustrating them at one end of the pitch before striking at the right time at the other.

Atletico’s midfield lineup will be key in the match, striking a balance between defence and attack, and the best way to manage that from the start will be for Yannick Carrasco not to be included in the starting lineup—but that doesn’t mean he cannot play a valuable part in the outcome of the game.

Tactical set-up: stopping Real

Real Madrid’s attacking prowess is legendary—but also predictable. That doesn’t equate to easily stoppable, but Atletico can at least have foreknowledge of how their opponents will attack: down the channels, playing quickly into the front three and looking to cut infield and cross, playing diagonal balls behind the full-backs or else shoot directly for goal.

It means the Atleti full-backs will be constantly occupied and the secondary roles for blocking off Real’s route to goal falls to the wide midfielders from Simeone’s usual 4-4-2 setup.

Carrasco can do that job, no question, as he already has proved in more than a few games, but it doesn’t necessarily get the best out of him … …

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