Emulating Simeone, Suggestions?

Just watched the Atleti-Jueve match, very impressed by Simeone tactically. Any suggestions on how to mirror it in game?

Seemed like a defensive 4-1-4-1 or 4-4-1-1. Mandzukic up front as TM/CF/DF support, wingers more attacking. Juanfran seemed to most forward thinking player on the pitch at times.

I thought it was a pretty rubbish match. Neither team deserved to get anything from the game but Atleti were clinical in the 15 minutes or so they tried to get forward. I guess switching to counter or even attacking mentality for a couple of minutes each match could replicate that to some extend.

Emulating Simeone in that game or his general Atletico tactic?

If you're looking for his general one:

Defence: normal goalkeeper, full backs don't aggressively attack, centre backs are normal and the D-line is deep and narrow.

Midfield: one winger/wide mid/wide target man (Turan or Raul Garcia) and one creative outlet (Koke), 2 defensive minded destroyers in the centre (Gabi and Tiago)

Attack: usually it would be Costa and Villa, but now Cerci/Griezmann behind Mandzukic.

Start off with this

Counter/Fluid

G(D)

FB(a)-CB(s)-CB(s)-FB(s)

W(s)-DLP(d)-BBM(s)-W(a)

T(a)

TM(s)

More Direct

Push Higher Up

Higher Tempo

Drill Crosses

Hassle Opponents

Stay On Feet

Look for Overlap

As many others said, Juanfran is the attacking FB so your RB would be the same. Simeone loves to pressure the opposition just like his mentor, Bielsa. AM also don't waste time with possesion, they are always moving the ball up the field. Mandzurkic is also the big guy that seems to find his way on crosses and Drill Crosses would take advantage of that. Look for Overlap seems to be the logical one as AM are always looking for the open man.

I think that the OP was speaking about the specific match vs. Juve.

If so, Atleti didn't use their usual 4-4-2/4-4-1-1. Instead it was a 4-1-2-2-1/4-3-3 that I hadn't seen from Simone since the 2012-13 season (granted I'm only able to watch @7-8 of their matches per season). The back 4 were pretty much as usual, with the two DC's staying narrow and tight and the FB's (not WB's) making sporadic runs forward; Juanfran seeming to do so more than Ansaldi. The three midfielders played a narrow triangle with Tiago at the base playing mostly as a DM and Koke and Niguez breaking into any seems that they could find. I would say that they were CM-S's.

The front three are hard to make happen in FM I'm afraid. They also stayed narrow for the most part, almost like three true forwards. Once they got into the Juve 18, they were rarely more than 3-4 meters apart and interchanged often. The wide forwards did drop when out of possession, but didn't join in the midfield line very often. Actually even Mandzukic even drops pretty deep when out of possession.

Hope that this helps.

The front three are hard to make happen in FM I'm afraid. They also stayed narrow for the most part, almost like three true forwards. Once they got into the Juve 18, they were rarely more than 3-4 meters apart and interchanged often. The wide forwards did drop when out of possession, but didn't join in the midfield line very often. Actually even Mandzukic even drops pretty deep when out of possession.

How about using three central forwards then? Just make the outer forwards specifically mark the full backs? (I haven't seen the match.)

How about using three central forwards then? Just make the outer forwards specifically mark the full backs? (I haven't seen the match.)

I don't think that will do it. The outside forwards didn't close down the outside backs. Rather they were clearly zone marking. This seems to be standard procedure for Simone's sides no matter what formation that they play.

Against Sevilla the previous weekend, Atleti was clearly in a 4-1-4-1/4-5-1 with the outside players much more withdrawn. The narrowness of the tree forwards vs. Juve is a method that has been used successfully against teams playing with 3 central defenders and in this instance I think that it was effective.