Of course did Chelsea ever think Atletico was going to be this good, when they loaned him out...it’s one thing to face them in the Group Stage, another thing when it’s in the semi-finals.
It’s new ground for Altetico, isn’t it? I don’t think they saw themselves this far. I mean, I’m sure they’d like to have believed it (kind of how like Tottenham believes they’re a UEFA level club, but never seem to quite make it) at the start of the year, but deep down, they have to be surprised to have made it this far.
But that’s beside the point. The real story here is UEFA’s attitude in getting involved with the contract details that were set before the competition started.