Starting as a Defensive Midfielder at Real Madrid

”So Li Ang really said that? Hah… That does sound like something he’d say. Then let me return the favor—I hope Chelsea achieves their Champions League dream next year as well.”

When the comments from Li Ang’s post-FA Cup Final interview made their way to Spain, Diego Simeone, deep into preparations with his squad, responded with good humor and confidence.

”This final will be different,” he added. ”It’s been a while since fans saw teams like ours reach the Champions League final. It’ll be a great matchup—I’m looking forward to it.

We’ve prepared thoroughly, and on the day of the final, you’ll see an Atlético Madrid that’s ready in every sense.

Last year’s pain has become this year’s fuel.

Of course, I won’t reveal our tactics ahead of time. Facing Mourinho is always an unforgettable experience. No matter what happens, I look forward to sharing a drink with him after the final.”

Just like Mourinho, Simeone wasn’t going to spill any strategic secrets.

Back in London, Chelsea—having just claimed the FA Cup—had the advantage of playing close to home.

They rested for just one day before heading straight back to Wembley for a closed-door intra-squad match.

The English FA, understandably eager to support its domestic champion, granted Chelsea full access.

But England’s sports media? Not pleased.

Mourinho had locked down training entirely—no interviews, no photos, no cameras.

The secrecy extended from Wembley back to Chelsea’s training base at Cobham, where preparations continued under full lockdown.

The six-day rest and preparation window passed quickly.

Atlético, having wrapped up their La Liga campaign, immediately turned their full attention to the Champions League final.

Without any other fixtures, they had a full week more than Chelsea to recover and prepare.

On paper, that seemed like a clear advantage.

More rest. More time to work on tactics. More controlled preparation.

But as with everything in football, the coin has two sides.

Without another competitive match to sharpen their edge, Atlético could only rely on intra-squad scrimmages to stay in rhythm.

And in terms of pure match-readiness, they couldn’t compare with Chelsea.

That edge in match sharpness? It might just be Chelsea’s biggest hidden advantage.

Of course, all these analyses were just theory. Only the match would reveal the truth.

On the morning of June 5th, Simeone and his squad arrived in London.

Atlético had already arranged to use Tottenham’s training facilities for their final sessions.

That afternoon, they took their team bus to Wembley for their standard pre-match routine—familiarizing with the stadium.

For the second straight season, Atlético had made it to the Champions League final.

But this was no longer the same Atlético Li Ang had once known as a local rival.

They were reborn.

The changes weren’t just in personnel, though a few key starters had rotated.

The biggest difference was tactical identity.

Simeone had completely embedded his philosophy into the squad.

Those players who hadn’t bought into his tactical vision had long since left.

In that regard, he and Mourinho were two sides of the same coin—iron-willed, tactically uncompromising, and in total control of their teams.

Once granted full backing by club leadership, both managers could reshape a squad into a ruthless, cohesive machine.

Both emphasized defense.

Both focused on controlling space.

Both could unleash blistering counters when the moment was right.

This Atlético side mirrored Chelsea in many ways.

Both clubs tormented their leagues with relentless pressing and surgical counters.

In fact, fans of the many teams these two had bullied were now waiting with gleeful anticipation:

”Let’s see how they like being chewed up by their own medicine.”

As the tension built, London’s streets were alive with Champions League fever.

And then, on the morning of the final, Li Ang finally broke six days of silence—by posting to social media.

No grand statement. No rallying cry.

Just a string of dates:

May 29, 2011

August 17, 2011

May 19, 2012

May 25, 2012

August 31, 2012...

He ended the post with:

May 30, 2015

...followed by a GIF of someone rubbing their chin in thought.

At first, many fans didn’t understand what Li Ang was getting at.

Then one of his longtime followers posted the answer: those dates were the finals of the cup competitions he’d won.

Suddenly, it clicked.

”Holy hell—he’s never lost a cup final. Not one.”

”Damn, that’s a slick way to flex. Subtle but powerful.”

”Yo, I just counted. Li Ang’s already won 11 cup titles! And he only just turned 24!”

”Correction, man. You forgot the Community Shield. That makes it 12.”

”Well... I guess it’s up to Atlético to break this freakish streak. This is getting out of hand.”

Li Ang’s cryptic post reignited the fan frenzy across platforms.

And honestly, the man had every right to post it.

Even Messi and Ronaldo hadn’t maintained a perfect record in cup finals.

But he had.

And it wasn’t like his opponents were pushovers—he’d beaten the best.

Barcelona in 2012.

Bayern in 2013.

Now Atlético?

Compared to those giants, Atlético didn’t seem any scarier.

So why should he back down now?

If there was ever a time to raise morale and shake off the pressure, this was it.

Quiet humility was great for building karma—but big finals demanded bold energy.

And Li Ang had absolute confidence in his team and their preparation.

But many of his younger teammates had never been to a Champions League final.

Even Ibrahimović, for all his accolades, had never played in one.

So Li Ang felt it was necessary to break the ice—lighten the mood and pump up the belief.

And it worked.

Sure, Mourinho gave him a bit of grief for ”showboating,” but when the team boarded the bus for Wembley that afternoon, the tension had lifted.

The energy on the bus was nothing like the somber, serious mood they’d had the day before during training.

In the locker room, just before warmups, Li Ang even gave Hazard a shoulder massage and cracked a joke to help him relax.

This was no ordinary match.

But Chelsea?

They were going to play it like they’d been here a hundred times.

”Today we’re counting on you in the attack, Eden. Don’t be fooled by all that hype the media’s been giving Atlético’s backline. Trust me, I’ve played against them — you can definitely get the better of Juanfran out there...”

After yet another dose of motivational talk from Li Ang, Hazard still felt a bit of tension deep down, but emotionally he was clearly more relaxed. After goofing around with a few of the younger teammates, Li Ang gradually put away his grin and shifted his focus entirely to the final warm-up session before the match.

Today’s Champions League final was being broadcast live earlier than usual by licensed television networks and streaming platforms worldwide. That meant most fans around the globe caught at least the tail end of both teams’ warm-ups.

As the warm-up wrapped up, the players from both teams quickly jogged back through the tunnel. They were grabbing those final moments for last-minute pep talks. The match was about to kick off, and every football fan on Earth now had their eyes fixed on Wembley Stadium.

China’s CCTV-5 had sent a massive commentary and interview crew to the venue. Their veteran commentary duo, He Wei and Xu Yang, were on live broadcast duty for the evening. Since the match was being shown for free, most fans back home chose to watch it on CCTV-5.

At the scheduled time, both teams began following the referees onto the pitch. He Wei promptly cut off Xu Yang’s rambling to quickly brief domestic viewers on the starting lineups.

”Alright, the stirring Champions League anthem has just ended. The real battle is about to begin! Chelsea and Atlético Madrid — neither side has ever lifted the Champions League trophy, so no matter who wins tonight, dear viewers, we will witness the birth of a new European champion!

Here’s Chelsea’s starting XI for tonight:

The attacking trident features names we’re all very familiar with — Ibrahimović, Hazard, and De Bruyne.

In midfield, Kroos, Matić, and Li Ang form the iron triangle — no surprises there.

At the back, John Terry partners Thiago Silva at center-back, with Bertrand at left-back and Azpilicueta on the right.

In goal, as expected, is Petr Čech.

As for Atlético Madrid, with Griezmann out for the rest of the season due to injury sustained in the semifinals, Raúl García gets the nod up front in his place.

Diego Costa starts alongside him as the other forward.

In midfield, Gabi and Tiago anchor the center, with Koke and Arda Turan on the flanks.

Their backline features Godín and Miranda as center-backs, flanked by Filipe Luís on the left and Juanfran on the right.

And in goal, it’s Courtois — still on loan from Chelsea this season.”

As He Wei finished his intro, the players had nearly wrapped up the pre-match ceremonies.

When Li Ang shook hands with Costa, he gave him a sly wink — but Costa just curled his lip in a smirk.

The two were old rivals on the pitch. They hadn’t crossed paths in nearly two years, but they both knew each other’s style inside and out.

The crowd didn’t have to wait long. At 19:45 sharp, the referee blew the whistle, and the Champions League final officially kicked off.

Chelsea opened up in a proactive 4-3-3 formation, aggressively spreading out to probe Atlético’s defense.

This was a sight Diego Simeone welcomed. If it came down to a pure shootout, his side wouldn’t be able to match Chelsea — especially without Griezmann up front.

But defending and counterattacking? That was Atlético’s bread and butter. Their players thrived in that system and would feel right at home.

Simeone had assumed Mourinho wouldn’t give him that kind of opportunity, but now it seemed Chelsea were underestimating them after all…

A faint look of satisfaction flashed across Simeone’s face as Atlético’s players quickly and expertly dropped into a full defensive setup.

Chelsea’s attacks soon reached deep into Atlético’s half. On the surface, it looked like they had seized control of the game’s early rhythm, pressing Atlético hard.

But those familiar with Atlético’s style knew better.

Their retreat into a compact half-pitch shape was like two clenched fists gathering strength — the contraction was for the sake of a more powerful release.

Without Griezmann, Atlético’s front-to-midfield transitions might take a hit, but with Diego Costa up top — one of the game’s top target men — their counterattacking system still had teeth.

With four central midfielders packing the middle, Atlético clogged the center thoroughly.

Li Ang tried to break through with a few individual runs, but under the relentless double-team pressure from Gabi and Tiago, he couldn’t quite bust open their central block.

From how it felt, Li Ang had to admit — this Atlético side really was Europe’s only defensive unit that could match Chelsea’s own.

Their pressing was ferocious. Their spatial awareness and prioritization were eerily similar to Chelsea’s.

Both teams relied on high-intensity running and rapid recoveries to create localized defensive advantages.

Pushing forward recklessly would only leave you like Real Madrid in the last round — exhausted and always vulnerable to a lethal counter.

Li Ang quickly grasped the situation. By the 7th minute, he was already signaling to his teammates with a downward motion, calling for a tactical drop.

Chelsea, who had been charging forward just moments earlier, abruptly shifted gears and slowed the tempo.

Mourinho, standing on the sidelines, also gestured for the team to fall back and adjust their shape.

The master and his disciple — fully in sync. The sight gave Simeone a bad feeling.

Chelsea had only pressed high for a mere seven minutes. The moment they realized it wouldn’t yield results, they decisively switched to a more controlled approach.

The move left countless fans watching at home stunned.

It’s not unusual to tweak tactics if your initial plan isn’t working. But to retreat after only seven minutes? Wasn’t that a bit... too quick?

Atlético’s players exchanged uncertain glances.

Now that Chelsea were playing possession through midfield, should they keep defending passively or step up and try to win the ball back?

It was a tactical dilemma Mourinho had just tossed into Simeone’s lap.

Or maybe, from the start, Chelsea had never intended to overwhelm Atlético with offense.

That brief probing had already given Chelsea a clear read on Atlético’s condition tonight.

When it comes to tactical battles, the only winning strategy is to drag your opponent into the type of contest you’re best at.

Atlético excelled at defending and countering. So Chelsea couldn’t afford to press high and give them space to exploit.

If the match wouldn’t be decided quickly, then Chelsea would turn it into a war of attrition — their specialty.

You say Atlético can run all day?

Perfect.

So can we.

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