Danny Higginbotham: How one change put Atletico Madrid into the final

Atletico Madrid were struggling in the first half of last night's Champions League semi-final second leg, until Diego Simeone made a crucial tactical tweak at half-time.

Tactical genius Diego Simeone who has taken his team to another Champions League final (Getty)

Last night at the Allianz Arena we saw yet another tactical masterclass from Diego Simeone, whose Atletico Madrid side must now be favourites for the competition.

In the first half Atletico looked shell-shocked by the pace that Bayern Munich started with. They conceded one goal and saved a penalty. Their 4-4-2 had been outnumbered in midfield, who had been driven back so far that Fernando Torres and Antoine Griezmann had become isolated up front. This meant that Atletico had to try to play out from the back, but they could not because of Bayern’s high press.

But one tweak from Simeone at half-time changed the dynamics of the game. He brought Yannick Ferreira-Carrasco on for Augusto Fernandez, and changed to a 4-1-4-1 system out of possession. Saul moved to sit in front of the back four, while Koke moved inside to play alongside Gabi. Carrasco and Griezmann played on the wings.

Thanks to the defensive insurance of Saul, the other four midfielders could player higher up the pitch. Because they get forward quicker to support Torres, he was no longer so isolated. Instead of 40 yards between Torres and the rest of his team, there were only 20 yards, and they still attacked in a 4-4-2. This made Atletico far more dangerous on the break, which is why Griezmann scored the crucial away goal, and they later missed a penalty to make it a 2-2 draw on the night.

It was one small changed that turned the game and secured Atletico’s place in the final. And it was further proof of the tactical genius of Simeone.