English Premier League teams are faster: Atletico Madrid’s Diego Simeone on Tottenham Hotspur clash

LONDON – Atletico Madrid coach Diego Simeone highlighted the speed of English Premier League sides’ play on March 9 ahead of the Champions League last-16 tie against Tottenham Hotspur.

Despite becoming embroiled in a relegation battle in the English top flight, Spurs finished fourth in the league phase of Europe’s top competition.

Five English sides finished in the top eight while six have reached the last 16, compared to three Spanish sides, the next most represented country.

“(English teams) have a faster pace. I don’t know why, I can’t quite put my finger on it,” Simeone told reporters before the March 10 first leg at the Metropolitano Stadium.

“Some say the referees let the game flow more. I don’t know if it’s the tactics or the pre-game preparation, but it’s true that the speed is faster.

“When you watch it on television, you can see that the speed is faster than in Spain, Italy, Germany... it’s the fastest league.”

Despite that, Simeone said that “technical quality” would also play its part in deciding the game and that Tottenham could not win “just by intensity”.

The Argentinian coach did not agree that Atletico were favourites going into the match, even though Igor Tudor’s side have lost five straight matches.

“When you step onto the pitch, you don’t remember where you are in the standings or what moment you’re in,” continued Simeone.

“The players want to win, to play well. I don’t know anyone who thinks about their league position when they’re about to have a shot.”

Atletico take on a familiar face in midfielder Conor Gallagher, who joined Spurs in January after a season and a half in the Spanish capital.

“He’s a young man who worked with us with great humility and who arriving from midfield is very dangerous,” said Simeone.

“He behaved very well (here) and we have very fond memories of his time at Atletico.”

Languishing in 16th place in the English Premier League, Tottenham are just one point above the relegation zone after a shambolic 3-1 home defeat by Crystal Palace on March 5.

The north Londoners are in grave danger of playing in the second tier for the first time since 1977-78, after conceding two or more goals in nine successive league matches for the first time in their history.

Having lost five consecutive league games, they are now without a win in 11 straight top-flight matches for the first time since 1975.

Against that alarming backdrop, Igor Tudor’s side would love to ease the pain of their domestic problems with a win against Atletico.

But Tottenham’s trip to Madrid will serve to remind furious fans just how far their club have fallen since their last appearance at the Metropolitano seven years ago.

When Spurs reached the 2019 Champions League final, Mauricio Pochettino’s team – featuring Harry Kane, Son Heung-min, Christian Eriksen and Hugo Lloris – were regarded as an emerging force.

They ended up losing 2-0 to Liverpool in the title decider after delivering a limp performance.

Within five months, Pochettino was sacked, starting a slow decline that could end with the humiliation of relegation.

As well as the unwanted memories stirred up by their return to the Metropolitano, facing Atletico provides a glimpse into why Tottenham are known as English football’s serial underachievers.

In 1963, they thrashed Atletico 5-1 in the European Cup Winners’ Cup final, becoming the first British side to win a European trophy – just two years after lifting the English title and the FA Cup in the same season.

That kind of dominance has been a pipe dream for Tottenham fans in the decades since. AFP