Sam Allardyce says Diego Simeone would be labelled 'boring' in Premier League

Even Sam Allardyce, known for aerial bombardments and rudimentary tactics, doesn't think that Diego Simeone's defensive approach would be embraced in the Premier League.

Speaking after Atletico Madrid defeated Bayern Munich 1-0 in the first leg of their tie in the Champions League's semi-finals, Allardyce acknowledged that Simeone would be viewed as "boring" in England and insisted that defending is a forgotten art.

"'He defends too much' - that's what he'd get here," Allardyce said, according to BBC Sport.

Allardyce added: "It's an art, defending - everybody has forgotten that. It's a tactical art to be able to sense danger and block people's crosses and get your toe in without fouling them now and they are very, very good at it indeed. The whole team buys into it. You see Fernando Torres on the edge of his own box defending. You never saw that at Liverpool or Chelsea.

"That's how good the manager is and that's why they are successful. They are successful because they concede fewer goals than everybody else and only need one to win. Now, everybody can say 'well, that's not entertaining,' but everybody is eulogising Simeone's tactics now. I wouldn't think they would do that in the Premier League so much."

Since Simeone arrived at Atleti, the club has kept 135 clean sheets through 256 fixtures in all competitions.