Morning all.
The Riyadh Air Metropolitano Stadium, a pitch which will be watered all day and mowed to a level which does not always assist a team who likes to pass the ball around a lot. A pitch on which the poor of Totts goalkeeper Kinsky lost his footing on just a month or so ago when his team was beaten 5-2 but it wasn’t entirely the grass to blame for his performance. He, and Totts for that matter, were just poor. Hopefully the Arsenal players footwear will be better and they will be forewarned of what lay ahead or more to point, what lay underfoot.
Reports suggest that severe weather conditions are expected across the Madrid Metropolitan Area later today, which could see 3cm of rain fall from midday onwards. Strong winds are expected too but you never know, perhaps the winds will help Arsenal’s passes travel forwards a bit quicker…
Twenty years and ten days ago was our last successful attempt to get through a Champions League semi-final which funny enough, was against another Spanish club in Villarreal. The home tie at Highbury ended 1-0 to The Arsenal thanks to a Kolo Toure goal. The second leg ended 0-0 but only thanks to Jens Lehmann who saved a late penalty.
Should we repeat the 2006 season and reach the final, there will be no Barcelona waiting because they were knocked out in the last round by Atletico, the second leg being action packed from start to finish. Barca had lost the home tie 2-0, leaving much to do in the Spanish capital, nevertheless, within 25 minutes the tie was level and Barca were looking favourites to reach the semi-final. Seven minutes later though, Lookman scored and that was how the game ended.
If ever there was a football manager who could make a guest appearance on The Sopranos and go unnoticed, it’s Atletico Madrid manager Diego Simeone. He looks like a tough nut, his teams play like they are tough nuts. They certainly know what dark arts of the game are, mind you, so do Arsenal and I expect to see a full repertoire from both teams tonight and in the second leg.
Two Arsenal managers have come up against Simeone and his Atletico side before, Unai Emery in 2018 in the Europa League when the Spanish club came out on top and then Mikel Arteta earlier this season during the league phase when Arsenal put four goals past them. Two from Viktor Gyokeres and one each from Gabriel and Gabriel Martinelli. An hour into that game, it was 0-0 but 14 minutes later, it was 4-0. Brilliant.
A stat for you:
- When playing at either the Vicente Calderón or the Riyadh Air Metropolitano, Atlético Madrid have never lost at home to an English side in a UEFA Champions League knockout stage match (P6 W3 D3). All six of those were against different teams (Chelsea, Leicester, Liverpool, Man Utd, Man City & Tottenham)
Atletico have conceded two goals in each of their last five games so there’s a good chance, we will have opportunities to score tonight. Whether we can take them or not is the question.
Riccardo Calafiori, Bukayo Saka, Ebb Eze and Gabriel Martinelli were all in training yesterday. No sign of Kai Havertz, Jurrien Timber or Mikel Merino though. Hopefully soon..
Adrian Clarke has as usual, given a tactical analysis on Atletico and what we can expect from them tonight in their own stadium, in front of their own fans.
Simeone is one of the very few head coaches at the highest level of European football to favour a 4-4-2 formation. His teams were previously renowned for their defensive grit, but now Atleti are an adventurous attacking outfit. Our semi-final opponents have scored in all 14 matches in Europe this term, but tellingly, they have also conceded in 13 of those.
There are goal threats with Julian Alvarez, Alexander Sorloth and the evergreen Antoine Griezmann as centre-forward options, while Ademola Lookman is a real livewire coming in off the left. He has pace and skill aplenty and was a constant threat against Barcelona in the quarter-final.
Defensively, the hosts will press with ferocity and lead the competition’s rankings for tackles won, most interceptions, and duels won. In attack, they are perhaps at their most menacing on the counter, scoring a competition-high seven goals from fast breaks in 2025/26, plus have netted 10 set-piece goals, more than any other Champions League side.
They have many strengths, but also clear weaknesses. Barcelona created seven big chances against them at the Metropolitano, with big gaps left in behind a high line a recurring theme. Only Qarabag and Real Madrid have faced more shots than Atleti, so we should have opportunities in this tough but appetising first leg.
Speaking in his pre match press conference, Mikel Arteta said:
It’s a massive privilege to be here again, two years in a row at the same part of the Champions League, representing our club. We have an opportunity, we’re going to grab it with both hands. You’re going to see a team that wants to be dominant, that wants to win it, and they want to start to decide the tie tomorrow.
This is the status that we want, and we have earned it through incredible work, passion and quality in the last nine months. Now is the moment to make a statement, and show how good we are, how much we want it, and make it happen. It’s clear, the opportunity is in front of us, and we have to attack it.
I think Arsenal have been brilliant in Europe so far which is why we remain unbeaten. No doubt this tie will be tough, very tough but if Arsenal can be at their best mentally as well as in footballing terms, there’s no reason we cannot reach the final. Atletico will make it hard for us, of course they will, we just have to make it harder for them..
Catch up in the comments..
Late Morning/Early Afternoon Rico, it’s a beautiful day here in Essex, not a cloud in the sky, but there’s a stiff breeze out so maybe it’s the edge of the storm system heading seemingly to Madrid? A waterlogged pitch sounds just perfect for Gyokeres to plough through.
I saw some brief highlights from our earlier encounter with Atletico this season and they created (and missed) quite a lot of chances in the match, particularly before we scored.
Hopefully Nicolas Jovier has been working on some inventive new dead ball gymnastics with which to befuddle the home team as was the case when we broke the deadlock last time?
Mikel Arteta, Diego Simeone and the parallels that convinced Andrea Berta to join Arsenal
By James McNicholas
Andrea Berta did not choose Arsenal lightly.
Having parted ways with Atletico Madrid, the Italian sporting director had specific criteria for his next project.
Arsenal fit the bill. London and the Premier League certainly held an appeal. The club were competing for major honours, and had the resources and ambition to invest in the market.But Berta was also aware of the critical importance of that primary relationship between sporting director and coach. In Mikel Arteta, Berta saw parallels with Diego Simeone, the manager he served for 12 years in the Spanish capital.
Berta is hardly the first to draw such a comparison. On the eve of the Champions League semi-final, Arteta described Simeone as “an absolute role model”. The two managers share a palpable intensity, a zeal, and an irrepressible drive for improvement.
“Well, obviously (Simeone) is someone that I look up to and learn from him in many situations and what is outstanding is his passion,” Arteta said before the two teams met in October.
“I think for how long he’s been in the game and in the same club with the same players, how you still have that hand and that capacity to transmit such an energy and willingness to win.”
Those with knowledge of both men say they are similarly obsessed by detail. Tactically, both managers have an emphasis on control and organisation. Their methods are distinct: Simeone typically favours the low block, Arteta focuses more on the press.
On Wednesday, Simeone and Arteta meet in the Champions League semi-final. Berta will be witness to a clash between his current and former employers — and the two coaches with whom he has shared the closest collaboration.
Arsenal’s Gabriel Jesus on Nico Jover and set pieces
Jack Lang and Rachael Tinde
Arsenal did not choose Berta lightly either. After a thorough recruitment process, the club hierarchy determined that the former banker was the right man to succeed Edu as sporting director. Berta had experience, contacts, and was regarded as an uncompromising and shrewd deal-maker. His international network and capacity to build a picture of the market is excellent — even this week, he was spotted taking in a game at Galatasaray.
Arteta and Simeone have exceptionally high standards, and are demanding of those around them. Having spent more than a decade working alongside ‘El Cholo’, Arsenal felt Berta would be well-equipped to satisfy Arteta.
Berta was also a man in a hurry — which suited Arsenal. After 12 years in Madrid, he was on the look-out for a ‘win now’ project to crown his career with some of Europe’s biggest prizes.
That aligned with Arsenal’s intentions for the summer. They needed someone who could deliver Arteta a title-winning squad, at short notice.
Alongside the official interview process, Berta and Arteta courted more informally. Their conversations deepened Berta’s conviction that this was a coach with whom he could cooperate. While Arsenal refute any suggestion that Arteta is Berta’s boss, the Italian recognises that one of his major responsibilities is to provide Arteta with what he wants.
The bonhomie between head coach and sporting director is, after all, frequently conditional. According to sources with knowledge of the situation, Berta discovered that in Madrid.
At one stage, Berta was very close to Simeone. When the manager came under pressure, Berta was a trusted ally, confidante and occasional peacekeeper.
While there was never any explicit falling-out between the pair, their relationship did deteriorate as the years went by. Tensions simmered over recruitment decisions: signings such as Joao Felix, Marcos Paulo and Arthur Vermeeren failed to meet Simeone’s standards.
The Vermeeren signing was seen by many as the last straw: the Atletico manager was demanding an experienced defensive midfielder; instead he received a callow winger.
By the time Berta left Madrid in 2024, he was being squeezed out by an ever-expanding cast of bureaucrats.
A degree of autonomy, then, was another appeal of joining Arsenal. Berta oversaw around £250million ($337m) of expenditure last summer. Eight first-team signings provided Arteta with his deepest squad to date.
This month, Arteta credited Berta with identifying Cristhian Mosquera, the 21-year-old centre-half who has exceeded all expectations this season.
“When Andrea (Berta) proposed the player, he knew him very well from Valencia. We started to analyse him, and we (realised we) needed a player of that profile,” said Arteta. “To ask him to sit in the Premier League at this level is one thing; to ask him to play in the three different positions, regardless of the opposition, it’s something else. He has been phenomenal.”
While there is no doubt Berta’s signings provided Arteta with the depth he desired, there are question marks over some of the individuals.
Christian Norgaard and Noni Madueke have failed to make the expected impact. Despite his 18 goals in 2025-26, debate continues over whether the €73.5million (£63.7m; $86m) Victor Gyokeres is the right fit.
Berta spearheaded Arsenal’s pursuit of Gyokeres. The club explored different options for the No 9 position, including holding talks over long-term target Benjamin Sesko. The sporting director held reservations over the cost of the Sesko deal — especially when factoring in salary, bonuses and commission.
He would have proceeded with Sesko if instructed, but made plain he considered it a bad deal. In the end, Arsenal and Arteta aligned with his recommendation.
Berta had very little preparation for last summer’s window. Arsenal had a plan, but a degree of improvisation was necessary. The Italian worked closely with Arteta and then vice-chairman Tim Lewis as the architects of Arsenal’s transfer activity.
Lewis left the club abruptly in September, but Arteta and Berta remain close conspirators. Berta’s feet are now well under the desk: he is a frequent visitor to the dressing room and pitch-side area on match days. A February restructure saw technical director James Ellis leave — Arsenal’s new academy manager will instead report directly to Berta.
Berta is committed to stay in London until 2028: when he joined Arsenal in March of last year, he signed a three-year deal. While his impact in London has attracted admirers at other big clubs, Berta is focused on preparing for the summer transfer window.
There is no immediate sign of the Berta and Arteta relationship souring. Arsenal have signalled their intention to extend Arteta’s contract, which expires in the summer of 2027.
Berta will hope to see those talks reach a positive conclusion: for the Italian, working in conjunction with Arteta remains one of the major appeals of life at Arsenal.
Morning Kev, I’m looking forward to see Arteta and Simeone go head to head again..
Great article Rico, it’ll be interesting to have a debate in the summer over the good, the bad and the ugly of Berta’s first transfer window. It’s probable that a few of those signings had already been identified before he joined Arsenal so this summer will arguably be his first transfer window for us, entirely on him.