Atlético Madrid coach Diego Simeone spoke about his team’s campaign so far as he addressed the media after a 4-2 home win over Espanyol in La Liga on Saturday night.
“We’re competing well in the Champions League and the Copa del Rey,” an optimistic Simeone insisted. “We’re far from the top in the league, but we’re trying not to slow down so we can finish as high as possible. … “I’m very happy with what the squad is doing at the moment.”
Diego Simeone on the victory
“There were many good things. We started losing, but that didn’t upset the team; they kept looking for the game we wanted. We were in control throughout the match. The team’s overall performance gave us the chance to play the game we wanted to play. It was an important, necessary victory, especially in the league, and a great team effort.”
Simeone on getting a boost before Tuesday
“It’s always important to win before an important match like Tuesday’s. From what I saw in Brugge’s line-up, they’ve played with quite a few substitutes in their league, they’ll have fresh players, it’s at 6:45 p.m. and we’ll have to be the same.”
Simeone on Tuesday’s early kick-off time
“I hope people understand how important it is for the players’ energy levels to be high.”
Simeone on asking the fans for a little more
“I’m not here to ask for anything at all. I’m grateful. I just ask that they understand our need for energy and that they give us energy.”
Simeone on Cardoso’s performance
“He went from strength to strength, gradually finding himself in situations that he’s good at, which is why he’s at Atlético. We need him to be like he was from the start of the match until he evolved in terms of aggression, intensity, team play, taking the ball to the other side… He had a very good match, which makes us happy because we need the best from him.”
Simeone on conceding two goals
“Their first goal was a combination of luck and our misinterpretation of how to defend it; on the second, Oblak didn’t see the ball coming out. Then there was the crossbar. Those were the three that attacked.”
Simeone on Baena pushing to be a starter
“Without a doubt. He was happy after the match, he knew he had put in the kind of performance we need from him, hard work, vision, playing collectively, making plays. We put him in the middle, almost in a double pivot or as an inside forward so he could link up with Johnny, and they did very well. He gave Giuliano a fantastic assist, typical of a player who knows and sees. We need the Baena we saw today.”
Simeone on Sørloth
“That’s football. That’s the wonderful thing about football. Before we started, I said to him, ‘The other day you played 15 minutes and had three chances to score,‘ and I said something else a bit more rude. That’s what we need. He had a spectacular game. It’s a shame he didn’t score the third, because (that shot off the post after he held off two defenders) was even better than the previous two.”