Diego Simeone outclasses Hansi Flick with game-changing second-half substitutions in Barcelona 4-4 Atletico Madrid | OneFootball

FC Barcelona threw away an important 4-2 lead over Atletico Madrid in the final 10 minutes of the first leg of the semifinal of the Copa del Rey at the Lluís Companys Olympic Stadium. It was a disappointing few minutes for the team who otherwise played an excellent game.

Hansi Flick’s men showed immense quality to turn around a 2-0 deficit to gain a 4-2 lead in the game. However, Atletico Madrid hit back in the last 10 minutes to equalize the game and not give Barcelona an advantage ahead of the second leg.

Now, Mundo Deportivo have compared the second-half substitutions made by Hansi Flick to that of Diego Simeone to see the impact that it had on the final result. While the Argentinian tactician got his decisions spot on, the German coach faltered.

For much of the season so far, Flick has not put a foot wrong in terms of substitutions. In fact, most of his changes have often directly influenced the game in a positive manner, but last night was one of those rare times that he got it wrong.

While swapping Robert Lewandowski for Ferran Torres was perfectly fine and the Pole even netted a goal, his decisions to take off Pedri and Raphinha in particular did not help the team with the team missing their most controlling presence and an outlet in attack.

Meanwhile, Simeone brought on Lino, Reinildo, Molina, Correa and Sorloth and although they did not produce an immediate impact, ultimately his decisions were vindicated. Correa provided the assist to Atletico Madrid’s third goal.

Meanwhile, it was Lino who made an excellently timed run for Atletico’s fourth goal and provided the assist to Sorloth who seems to love scoring against Barcelona. It was a display of elite in-game management from Simeone.

It was one of those games that played out the way it did and Barcelona failed to see out of the game. It remains to be seen how Hansi Flick looks to improve the team in this aspect and let’s wait and see how the team reacts going forward.