Diego Simeone dashed down the tunnel as Manchester United and Atletico Madrid drew 1-1. Some feel it was a dig at Ralf Rangnick, who was sitting in the opposition dugout. However, earlier comments from the Argentine indicate that this is not the case.
During their match at the Wanda Metropolitano Stadium, Atletico Madrid outplayed Manchester United.
They gained a merited lead in the seventh minute, thanks to Joao Felix’s soaring header that flew past David De Gea.
United, on the other hand, pushed hard and earned a point through replacement Anthony Elanga, who kept his calm to slide past Jan Oblak.
Simeone headed right down the tunnel after the game.
But it was no snub to Rangnick, who was in charge of his first Champions League knockout round game as United manager.
Simeone revealed last year that he doesn’t generally shake hands after a match because he doesn’t ‘enjoy it.’
In October, he stated, “I never shake hands after a match because I don’t enjoy it.”
“It isn’t healthy for either the winner or the loser.” At the end of the game, I always leave without shaking hands.”
“I don’t like the handshake welcomes after the match because they are the feelings of two separate sides in different emotional minds,” Simeone said a few weeks later.
“I know it’s a custom in the UK, and it’s all about chivalry, but I don’t share it, and I don’t enjoy the falseness.”
That clarifies the situation.
That is why United fans should not expect Rangnick and Simeone to shake hands in the rematch at Old Trafford.
Speaking after the game last night, Atletico manager Jose Mourinho expressed confidence that the Red Devils would be different in the next encounter.
“We’re in the same situation we were before the game started, nothing has changed from yesterday or today,” the Argentine said.
“We’re shackled.
“We’re going to play the second leg in front of their fans, so they’ll definitely play with more verticality and drive than they did today, and they’ll be more aggressive in front of their fans, which will cause them to play at a higher rhythm.”
“They’ll play at a faster speed, which is what they usually do in the Premier League.”
“However, nothing beats playing a big game in a beautiful stadium against a fantastic adversary like Manchester United in the Champions League to put our level to the test.”
“We started the second half with nothing really happening, and United found a way to the goal with a pretty good play and a really swift transition.”
“Perhaps they discovered this modification and demonstrated a high level of clinical precision.”
“Of course, Antoine Griezmann struck the crossbar again, and we had a chance to win the game.”
“However, we witnessed a squad that competes, a team that did a lot of nice things, a team that is exhibiting strengths, and we hope to continue doing so.”
Rangnick, for his part, was pleased with his team’s performance in the first half.
“I still can’t believe what we did in the first half,” the 63-year-old stated.
“We played without conviction or aggression, which is why we struggled.”
“We fared better in the second half, had more possession in key areas, and if we had played another 10 minutes, we may have won the game.”
“We need to play better in the first half; I was quite dissatisfied with our first-half performance.”
“We were far too cautious both with and without the ball, and we didn’t take any risks.
“We just played it in our half, which is difficult against a team like Atletico.” Their goal was difficult to defend, as it featured a superb cross and finish.
“We need to play with more conviction on the ball, we need more deep runs, and that’s exactly how we got the goal.”
“This is the way we must play against them.””
