Rio Ferdinand has stated that Atletico Madrid player Joao Felix was dissatisfied with Diego Simeone’s tactical approach in their 1-0 Champions League loss to Manchester City on Tuesday evening.
City defeated the LaLiga champions at the Etihad Stadium, with Phil Foden coming off the bench to break down the tough defence with a through pass to Kevin De Bruyne.
Atletico Madrid did not have a shot on goal in the opening stanza of their Champions League quarter-final match against Manchester City at the Etihad Stadium.
De Bruyne struck in the second-half to seal the slim victory for Pep Guardiola’s side.
Diego Simeone has faced criticism over his side’s defensive approach to games, a tactic they deployed to knock Manchester United out of the competition in the round of 16.
Ferdinand was impressed with Felix’s display but feels Simeone’s tactics are stifling the highly rated youngster.
Ferdinand was asked if he thinks Felix would have enjoyed any part of the game, he told BT Sport, “The final whistle.
“I can’t imagine he sits there and enjoys playing the way he’s asked to play [by Simeone].
“For a player like Joao Felix, he can’t be sitting there on the plane home going, ‘they got the best out of me, they continually get the best out of me as a player’. He won’t be saying that.”