Man City news: Diego Simeone lays into Pep Guardiola before ditching press conference | Football | Sport

Diego Simeone fired post-match shots at Manchester City boss Pep Guardiola for comments made about Atletico Madrid’s playstyle, before storming out of his press conference. The two sides played out a fiery Champions League encounter on Wednesday which saw tempers flare before and after the final whistle. 

Atletico’s tie with City was scrappy from the first minute of the first leg as Simeone’s side set up to frustrate their silkier opponents. Phil Foden bore the brunt of the brutality in Madrid as the bandaged youngster pulled together with his team-mates to see out a 0-0 draw. 

Kevin De Bruyne’s first-leg strike made the difference and saw City advance to the Champions League semi-finals. Atletico ditched their low block for the majority of the second leg, but the Sky Blues stood firm to keep them at bay. 

Guardiola commented on Simeone’s defensive set-up after the first leg which many in Spain interpreted as a dig. He said: “We sensed they would play 3-5-2, then they adjusted and went to a 5-5-0, something that in prehistoric times and today is very difficult to attack.”

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“Don’t be mistaken, I never criticised Atletico,” added the City boss. “They pushed us back, we forgot how to play. That’s to their credit. We’re celebrating going through but after that second half we could be out. We were in big, big trouble.

“They had chances to score, but they didn’t in the end. If we play in the semi-final like we did in the second half, we don’t have any chance.”