Ex-Atletico man Kieran Trippier defends Diego Simeone's tactics

, an ex-

player, said he had a great time working under

Diego Simeone

in the Spanish city. Trippier joined Atletico Madrid from

Tottenham Hotspur

in 2019 and spent two and a half seasons in La Liga before joining

at the start of the season.

Simeone has been chastised in some quarters for his ostensibly negative style of play, but his former assistant remains a huge fan of the Argentine. Trippier told BT Sport before Atletico Madrid's Champions League quarter-final clash against Manchester City on Wednesday, "I liked playing for Simeone and thrived off defending. Playing for him helped me tremendously. He's a unique individual. Many people watch the occasional game, but La Liga is a completely different ball game.

"When playing against the best teams, you must be more defensive. It's not fair to bring up the dark arts and him at the same time. He used to tell us to get in their faces and wind them up when we played Liverpool and Chelsea. They want to agitate the players.

"From the first minute, he'll be requesting yellow cards from the touchline, and the players will be yelling at each other. He wants the players to avoid the referee. Tonight, Savic will be the main attraction, since he will be in Man City's face." Trippier was already a seasoned England international - and a Champions League finalist - during his time with Tottenham, but his move to Atletico Madrid helped him reach new heights under Simeone's watchful eye.

The Argentine made 86 appearances in all competitions and was a major member of the team that defeated Real Madrid and

Barcelona

to win the Liga title in 2020-21, his second with the Colchoneros.

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