{"id":1502242,"date":"2026-10-12T18:00:00","date_gmt":"2026-10-12T17:00:00","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.squawka.com\/en\/?post_type=features&#038;p=1502242"},"modified":"2026-10-12T18:02:41","modified_gmt":"2026-10-12T17:02:41","slug":"atletico-madrid-vs-man-utd-cristian-romero-champions-league","status":"publish","type":"features","link":"https:\/\/www.squawka.com\/en\/features\/atletico-madrid-vs-man-utd-cristian-romero-champions-league\/","title":{"rendered":"How Atletico Madrid\u2019s Cristian Romero can exploit Manchester United\u2019s aggressive press"},"content":{"rendered":"\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\"><strong><a href=\"https:\/\/www.squawka.com\/en\/stats\/players\/cristian-romero\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">Cristian Romero<\/a> will have mixed emotions about playing <a href=\"https:\/\/www.squawka.com\/en\/stats\/clubs\/manchester-united\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">Manchester United<\/a> this week.<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">The Argentine put in a captain\u2019s performance in <a href=\"https:\/\/www.squawka.com\/en\/stats\/clubs\/tottenham-hotspur\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">Tottenham Hotspur<\/a>\u2019s 1-0 <a href=\"https:\/\/www.squawka.com\/en\/stats\/clubs\/europa\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">Europa<\/a> League win over United last year. Back in February, his most recent outing against the Manchester giants, he received his marching orders for a foul on Casemiro.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<figure class=\"wp-block-image size-full\"><a href=\"https:\/\/www.squawka.com\/en\/news\/add-squawka-to-your-google-news-feed\/\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"1500\" height=\"500\" src=\"https:\/\/www.squawka.com\/en\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/10\/squawka-preferred-sources-google-banner.webp\" alt=\"Add Squawka to your preferred sources on Google\" class=\"wp-image-1500527\" srcset=\"https:\/\/www.squawka.com\/en\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/10\/squawka-preferred-sources-google-banner.webp 1500w, https:\/\/www.squawka.com\/en\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/10\/squawka-preferred-sources-google-banner-300x100.webp 300w, https:\/\/www.squawka.com\/en\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/10\/squawka-preferred-sources-google-banner-1024x341.webp 1024w, https:\/\/www.squawka.com\/en\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/10\/squawka-preferred-sources-google-banner-768x256.webp 768w, https:\/\/www.squawka.com\/en\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/10\/squawka-preferred-sources-google-banner-400x133.webp 400w, https:\/\/www.squawka.com\/en\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/10\/squawka-preferred-sources-google-banner-600x200.webp 600w, https:\/\/www.squawka.com\/en\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/10\/squawka-preferred-sources-google-banner-180x60.webp 180w, https:\/\/www.squawka.com\/en\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/10\/squawka-preferred-sources-google-banner-150x50.webp 150w, https:\/\/www.squawka.com\/en\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/10\/squawka-preferred-sources-google-banner-222x74.webp 222w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 1500px) 100vw, 1500px\" \/><\/a><\/figure>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">As contentious as the red may have been, the volatile Romero will hope for more of the former when <a href=\"https:\/\/www.squawka.com\/en\/news\/atletico-madrid-vs-manchester-united-predictions-betting-tips-13-10-26\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">Atletico Madrid host United<\/a> on Tuesday night. The centre-back departed Spurs for Atletico over the summer, completing a move that was 12 months in the making.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<div class=\"wp-block-yoast-seo-table-of-contents yoast-table-of-contents\"><h2>In this article, we&#8217;ll cover:<\/h2><ul><li><a href=\"#h-romero-slotting-in-seamlessly-at-atletico\" data-level=\"3\">Romero slotting in seamlessly at Atletico<\/a><\/li><li><a href=\"#h-distribution-key-against-man-utd\" data-level=\"3\">Distribution key against Man Utd<\/a><\/li><li><a href=\"#h-exploiting-man-utd-s-midfield-issues\" data-level=\"3\">Exploiting Man Utd&#8217;s midfield issues<\/a><\/li><\/ul><\/div>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\"><a href=\"https:\/\/www.squawka.com\/en\/stats\/players\/cristian-romero\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">Romero<\/a> may have tarnished his legacy at the Tottenham Hotspur Stadium, but he secured a switch that he was, arguably, born to make. Playing under <a href=\"https:\/\/www.squawka.com\/en\/stats\/players\/diego-simeone\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">Diego Simeone<\/a> feels like a match made in heaven for the former <a href=\"https:\/\/www.squawka.com\/en\/stats\/clubs\/atalanta\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">Atalanta<\/a> man.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">And while he took a little while to work his way into Simeone\u2019s starting XI, Atletico look a more solid outfit with the 28-year-old in the side. Indeed, Romero started his fourth league game of the season at the weekend, netting a late winner in a 2-1 victory at Alaves. Simeone\u2019s side have now won all four league matches Romero has started.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<h3 id=\"h-romero-slotting-in-seamlessly-at-atletico\" class=\"wp-block-heading\">Romero slotting in seamlessly at Atletico<\/h3>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">The result kept Atletico on the coattails of league leaders <a href=\"https:\/\/www.squawka.com\/en\/stats\/clubs\/barcelona\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">Barcelona<\/a>. They were at risk of drifting seven points off the pace of the defending champions. Romero\u2019s 87th-minute header kept the Madrid giants in the conversation for the La Liga title. It\u2019s the never-say-die attitude that has been honed during his time with the <a href=\"https:\/\/www.squawka.com\/en\/stats\/clubs\/argentina\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">Argentina<\/a> national team. At the World Cup alone they twice came from behind to secure knockout stage wins over <a href=\"https:\/\/www.squawka.com\/en\/stats\/clubs\/egypt\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">Egypt<\/a> and <a href=\"https:\/\/www.squawka.com\/en\/stats\/clubs\/england\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">England<\/a>.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">It\u2019s in defence where this mental fortitude really comes to the fore. It goes without saying that Romero is an aggressive centre-back. This approach has landed him in hot water with officials in years gone by. At the Wanda Metropolitano, and particularly under Simeone, this approach is celebrated rather than castigated.<\/p>\n\n\n\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Admittedly, Romero\u2019s not needed to display this side to his game as readily with Atletico as he did with Spurs. This is evident in that he has made just six tackles across his five La Liga outings this season. For Spurs in the <a href=\"https:\/\/www.squawka.com\/en\/stats\/competitions\/premier-league-2026-2027\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">Premier League<\/a> last season, he matched, or surpassed, that haul in three separate matches.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Of course, he has the knack of being in the right place at the right time to alleviate pressure on the Atletico goal. 20 clearances is second for the Spanish giants, despite only starting four of eight league games. It\u2019s part of the reason why Atletico are yet to concede from open play across his four starts.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<h3 id=\"h-distribution-key-against-man-utd\" class=\"wp-block-heading\">Distribution key against Man Utd<\/h3>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">What\u2019s key, though, is that Romero is able to exhibit his distribution. Aside his well-documented aggression issues, Romero is an expert at breaking the lines. And it\u2019s quality to his game that will be vital <a href=\"https:\/\/www.squawka.com\/en\/news\/atletico-madrid-vs-man-utd-bet-builder-tips-13-10-26\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">against a United side<\/a> that has struggled to deal with balls through the middle.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Spurs carved them open on a number of occasions on Saturday. It was their profligacy that cost them all the spoils at Old Trafford. Atletico won\u2019t be quite so forgiving this week.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Romero ranks fifth for passes (287) for Atletico in <a href=\"https:\/\/www.squawka.com\/en\/stats\/clubs\/spain\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">Spain<\/a>\u2019s top tier this term, while a 92.3% pass accuracy is the third best. 19 accurate long balls is third of all outfield players.<\/p>\n\n\n<div class=\"wp-block-image\">\n<figure class=\"aligncenter size-large\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"819\" height=\"1024\" src=\"https:\/\/media.squawka.com\/images\/2026\/10\/12161410\/player_-pitch-3-stats-5-819x1024.jpg\" alt=\"Cristian Romero 2026\/27 La Liga pass map\" class=\"wp-image-1502247\" srcset=\"https:\/\/media.squawka.com\/images\/2026\/10\/12161410\/player_-pitch-3-stats-5-819x1024.jpg 819w, https:\/\/media.squawka.com\/images\/2026\/10\/12161410\/player_-pitch-3-stats-5-240x300.jpg 240w, https:\/\/media.squawka.com\/images\/2026\/10\/12161410\/player_-pitch-3-stats-5-768x960.jpg 768w, https:\/\/media.squawka.com\/images\/2026\/10\/12161410\/player_-pitch-3-stats-5-1229x1536.jpg 1229w, https:\/\/media.squawka.com\/images\/2026\/10\/12161410\/player_-pitch-3-stats-5-214x267.jpg 214w, https:\/\/media.squawka.com\/images\/2026\/10\/12161410\/player_-pitch-3-stats-5-160x200.jpg 160w, https:\/\/media.squawka.com\/images\/2026\/10\/12161410\/player_-pitch-3-stats-5-48x60.jpg 48w, https:\/\/media.squawka.com\/images\/2026\/10\/12161410\/player_-pitch-3-stats-5-120x150.jpg 120w, https:\/\/media.squawka.com\/images\/2026\/10\/12161410\/player_-pitch-3-stats-5-59x74.jpg 59w, https:\/\/media.squawka.com\/images\/2026\/10\/12161410\/player_-pitch-3-stats-5.jpg 1620w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 819px) 100vw, 819px\" \/><\/figure>\n<\/div>\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">United head coach <a href=\"https:\/\/www.squawka.com\/en\/stats\/players\/michael-carrick\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">Michael Carrick<\/a> deploys a high man-to-man press. This involves six players breaking forward, leaving four &#8211; the two centre-backs and the two central midfielders &#8211; at the back. It means that a single pass from defence can bypass the press and hand United\u2019s opponents\u2019 numerical advantage when they spring forward.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<h3 id=\"h-exploiting-man-utd-s-midfield-issues\" class=\"wp-block-heading\">Exploiting Man Utd&#8217;s midfield issues<\/h3>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">This is where Romero\u2019s distribution will effectively allow Atletico to carve United open. Both <a href=\"https:\/\/www.squawka.com\/en\/stats\/players\/youri-tielemans\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">Youri Tielemans<\/a> and <a href=\"https:\/\/www.squawka.com\/en\/stats\/players\/kobbie-mainoo\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">Kobbie Mainoo<\/a> struggled to track runners on Saturday evening. They\u2019ll be hoping <a href=\"https:\/\/www.squawka.com\/en\/stats\/players\/carlos-baleba\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">Carlos Baleba<\/a>\u2019s return to fitness can go some way to plugging this gap.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Carrick will be backing the Cameroonian to bring the requisite physical dynamism in a key position in order to put a stop to the rapid transitions United have struggled to contain. Whether this starts in midweek does remain to be seen. Baleba has made just one competitive appearance this season and while he impressed off the bench, starting a half-fit 22-year-old at the Wanda could prove disastrous.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">So, too, will be United\u2019s continued midfield setup. Spurs gave the blueprint on how to beat the United press. And Romero, with his notable ball-playing capability, should have no issue getting the ball forward to punish the Premier League side.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Romero has been able to exhibit this side to his game with greater frequency than he did in his final season at Spurs. Provided he can avoid the off-ball theatrics that have plagued the defender in the past, then Atletico should get their Champions League campaign up an running on Tuesday.<\/p>\n\n\n<h3><strong>Read more:<\/strong><\/h3>\r\n<ul>\r\n<li><a href=\"https:\/\/www.squawka.com\/en\/news\/\"><strong>Latest football news<\/strong><\/a><\/li>\r\n<li><a href=\"https:\/\/www.squawka.com\/en\/bet\/football-tips\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\"><strong>Football betting tips<\/strong><\/a><\/li>\r\n<li><a href=\"https:\/\/www.squawka.com\/en\/bet\/betting-sites\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\"><strong>Best betting sites<\/strong><\/a><\/li>\r\n<li><a href=\"https:\/\/www.squawka.com\/en\/bet\/betting-sites\/best-free-bet-offers\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\"><strong>Best free bet offers<\/strong><\/a><\/li>\r\n<li><a href=\"https:\/\/www.squawka.com\/en\/bet\/football-tips\/accumulator\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\"><strong>Football accumulator tips<\/strong><\/a><\/li>\r\n<\/ul>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Cristian Romero will have mixed emotions about playing Manchester United this week. The Argentine put in a captain\u2019s performance in Tottenham Hotspur\u2019s 1-0 Europa League win over United last year. Back in February, his most recent outing against the Manchester giants, he received his marching orders for a foul on Casemiro. As contentious as the&#8230;<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":3564,"featured_media":1502243,"template":"","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"_yoast_wpseo_focuskw":"Cristian Romero","_yoast_wpseo_title":"","_yoast_wpseo_metadesc":"Cristian Romero could be key for Atletico Madrid against Manchester United. Discover how his passing could exploit United\u2019s high press.","footnotes":""},"tags":[],"features-category":[],"squawka-category":[27673,27676,27681,27678,27670],"class_list":["post-1502242","features","type-features","status-publish","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","squawka-category-champions-league","squawka-category-la-liga","squawka-category-manchester-united","squawka-category-match-analysis","squawka-category-premier-league"],"acf":{"external_featured_image_url":"","hide_featured_image_pattern":false},"yoast_head":"<!-- This site is optimized with the Yoast SEO Premium plugin v28.0 (Yoast SEO v28.4) - https:\/\/yoast.com\/product\/yoast-seo-premium-wordpress\/ -->\n<title>How Atletico Madrid\u2019s Cristian Romero can exploit Manchester United\u2019s aggressive press | Squawka | EN<\/title>\n<meta name=\"description\" content=\"Cristian Romero could be key for Atletico Madrid against Manchester United. Discover how his passing could exploit United\u2019s high press.\" \/>\n<meta name=\"robots\" content=\"index, follow, max-snippet:-1, max-image-preview:large, max-video-preview:-1\" \/>\n<link rel=\"canonical\" href=\"https:\/\/www.squawka.com\/en\/features\/atletico-madrid-vs-man-utd-cristian-romero-champions-league\/\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:locale\" content=\"en_GB\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:type\" content=\"article\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:title\" content=\"How Atletico Madrid\u2019s Cristian Romero can exploit Manchester United\u2019s aggressive press\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:description\" content=\"Cristian Romero could be key for Atletico Madrid against Manchester United. Discover how his passing could exploit United\u2019s high press.\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:url\" content=\"https:\/\/www.squawka.com\/en\/features\/atletico-madrid-vs-man-utd-cristian-romero-champions-league\/\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:site_name\" content=\"Squawka | EN\" \/>\n<meta property=\"article:publisher\" content=\"https:\/\/www.facebook.com\/SquawkaFootballNews\/\" \/>\n<meta property=\"article:modified_time\" content=\"2026-10-12T17:02:41+00:00\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:image\" content=\"https:\/\/media.squawka.com\/images\/2026\/10\/12161155\/3FJGBMG-scaled.jpg\" \/>\n\t<meta property=\"og:image:width\" content=\"2560\" \/>\n\t<meta property=\"og:image:height\" content=\"1707\" \/>\n\t<meta property=\"og:image:type\" content=\"image\/jpeg\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:card\" content=\"summary_large_image\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:site\" content=\"@squawka\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:label1\" content=\"Estimated reading time\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:data1\" content=\"4 minutes\" \/>\n<script type=\"application\/ld+json\" class=\"yoast-schema-graph\">{\"@context\":\"https:\\\/\\\/schema.org\",\"@graph\":[{\"@type\":\"NewsArticle\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/www.squawka.com\\\/en\\\/features\\\/atletico-madrid-vs-man-utd-cristian-romero-champions-league\\\/#article\",\"isPartOf\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/www.squawka.com\\\/en\\\/features\\\/atletico-madrid-vs-man-utd-cristian-romero-champions-league\\\/\"},\"author\":{\"name\":\"Ben McAleer\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/www.squawka.com\\\/en\\\/#\\\/schema\\\/person\\\/d83177c024444113f28c89f65fde90b4\"},\"headline\":\"How Atletico Madrid\u2019s Cristian Romero can exploit Manchester United\u2019s aggressive press\",\"datePublished\":\"2026-10-12T17:00:00+00:00\",\"dateModified\":\"2026-10-12T17:02:41+00:00\",\"mainEntityOfPage\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/www.squawka.com\\\/en\\\/features\\\/atletico-madrid-vs-man-utd-cristian-romero-champions-league\\\/\"},\"wordCount\":877,\"image\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/www.squawka.com\\\/en\\\/features\\\/atletico-madrid-vs-man-utd-cristian-romero-champions-league\\\/#primaryimage\"},\"thumbnailUrl\":\"https:\\\/\\\/media.squawka.com\\\/images\\\/2026\\\/10\\\/12161155\\\/3FJGBMG-scaled.jpg\",\"inLanguage\":\"en-GB\",\"accessibilityFeature\":[\"tableOfContents\"]},{\"@type\":\"WebPage\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/www.squawka.com\\\/en\\\/features\\\/atletico-madrid-vs-man-utd-cristian-romero-champions-league\\\/\",\"url\":\"https:\\\/\\\/www.squawka.com\\\/en\\\/features\\\/atletico-madrid-vs-man-utd-cristian-romero-champions-league\\\/\",\"name\":\"How Atletico Madrid\u2019s Cristian Romero can exploit Manchester United\u2019s aggressive press | Squawka | EN\",\"isPartOf\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/www.squawka.com\\\/en\\\/#website\"},\"primaryImageOfPage\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/www.squawka.com\\\/en\\\/features\\\/atletico-madrid-vs-man-utd-cristian-romero-champions-league\\\/#primaryimage\"},\"image\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/www.squawka.com\\\/en\\\/features\\\/atletico-madrid-vs-man-utd-cristian-romero-champions-league\\\/#primaryimage\"},\"thumbnailUrl\":\"https:\\\/\\\/media.squawka.com\\\/images\\\/2026\\\/10\\\/12161155\\\/3FJGBMG-scaled.jpg\",\"datePublished\":\"2026-10-12T17:00:00+00:00\",\"dateModified\":\"2026-10-12T17:02:41+00:00\",\"description\":\"Cristian Romero could be key for Atletico Madrid against Manchester United. 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