If there is one thing that Atletico Madrid know how to do, it's defend. Diego Simeone's side have been the most consistent defensive team in Europe over the past five seasons, boasting the meanest clean sheet record in the continent on a number of occasions.
While Simeone's tactics are hugely influential, the personnel he has it has disposal has no doubt been vital.
In Diego Godin and José Giménez, he has an incredibly hard-nosed centre back duo at the club. Those two have grown incredibly familiar with each other over the past two seasons, also becoming partners at international level with Uruguay.
While Godin is nine-years his senior, Giménez did not lack maturity when entering the international fold. Making his debut against Colombia in 2013 aged 18, he showed a wiliness rarely seen in players of his age.
He had the unenviable job of shackling Falcao, and the striker would later describe the strange tactics the defender employed in putting him off his game (h/t thesefootballtimes.com):
I couldn’t concentrate as Giménez was driving me crazy. He asked me questions. First, he asked me what car I had. When I was explaining it, he had already gone and was waiting to meet a cross.
That was only the start. Then he asked me why the flags of Ecuador, Colombia and Venezuela have the same colours.
Next he came over to me and told me it was his debut, that he was very happy and that he would get a tattoo of the date of his match, asking me if September was spelled with or without a ‘p’. I ended up missing the chance to jump for a cross. He drove me crazy.
That is hilarious. It appears ever sportspeople at the highest level are put off when their opponents are strange.
We're definitely trying this one ourselves.
