‘It was like playing against a top Championship side’: Joe Cole savages LaLiga leaders Atletico Madrid after Champions League exit and claims Diego Simeone’s men did not come ‘close to making a dent’ in Chelsea
- Atletico Madrid crashed out of the Champions League at the hands of Chelsea
- LaLiga leaders Atletico lost to their Premier League rivals 3-0 on aggregate
- Joe Cole slammed the state of LaLiga after Atletico’s first leg defeat in Bucharest
- And he criticised them once more, comparing them to a top Championship side
Atletico Madrid played like a ‘top Championship side’ against Chelsea and did not come close to threatening their hosts, according to Joe Cole.
Diego Simeone’s men crashed out of the Champions League after a 2-0 defeat by the Blues at Stamford Bridge following goals from Hakim Ziyech and Emerson.
LaLiga leaders Atletico went into the game trailing 1-0 following Olivier Giroud’s sublime overhead kick in the first leg securing victory for Thomas Tuchel’s men in Bucharest.
Atletico Madrid played like a ‘top Championship side’ against Chelsea, according to Joe Cole
Diego Simeone’s men crashed of the Champions League after a 2-0 defeat by the Blues
Cole slammed Atletico after their defeat in Romania, and the former Chelsea star was no more complimentary on BT Sport after their 3-0 aggregate exit in west London, describing the clash as a ‘non-game’ and claiming they resembled a team in England’s second division as opposed to Spanish league leaders.
Speaking about Emerson’s 94th minute goal – which sparked wild celebrations on the pitch and among team-mates in the stands – Cole said: ‘It was a beautiful end to a perfect game for Chelsea, and Atletico did not even get close to putting a dent in Chelsea tonight.
‘There were a couple of half chances, but it was a non-game. I said at half-time, this is like Chelsea playing against, no disrespect, a top Championship side or a team at the bottom of the Premier League like a Fulham or a West Brom.’
The former Chelsea star’s comments came just a few weeks after he tore into the quality in LaLiga as a far cry from what it once was.
Cole – who slammed LaLiga after the first leg – compared Atletico to a second division side
‘They made it an uneventful night and didn’t give Atletico anything to bite on,’ Cole said after the first leg in Bucharest.
‘Tactically well done. If that’s the best LaLiga has to offer, then it must be in trouble.
‘This team looked a shadow of themselves. I thought it was gonna be a tough one without N’Golo Kante but Chelsea just dominated. They controlled possession and were in charge of the game throughout.
‘I was surprised Simeone didn’t switch it up earlier.’
He also said they resembled lowly Premier League sides like Fulham or West Brom