Hours before Atlético return to Anfield to play matchday 4 of the group stage of the Champions League, against Liverpool. speak for UEFA.com an old ‘red’ connoisseur: Luis Suarez. Of what he lived there, from 2010 to 2014, from his memories, from where he could attack to win. And of Simeone, of course. About the relationship with him and Cholo’s relationship with the players. An interview with many proper names.
Signing for Liverpool
“When I signed for Liverpool, I remembered that it was a team that I played for on the PlayStation. Any player would want to play there, any child, any teenager. It was amazing to see the atmosphere at Anfield. Watching the Premier League matches was amazing, as was the opportunity to make one of my dreams come true, to be there, to feel the affection of the people from the first minute “.
Sharing costumes with ‘red’ legends
“Although Fernando Torres left at that time, and although it would have been incredible to play with him, the mere fact of sharing a dressing room with players like Gerrard, Martin Škrtel, Danny Agger, Pepe Reina and Jamie Carragher, club legends who managed to great things, it was amazing for me. “
Liverpool fans support
“I think every time a player goes out on the pitch, they have to realize that they have to commit to the club they represent. So the fans see that passion, that ambition for success, that you fight every ball. That has always been the case. my way of doing things, you can have good and bad games. You can play well or have your worst game, but if they see your commitment, that you never give up, then they appreciate it.. They could see my commitment, my wish that Liverpool continue to be in the elite of football. It is true that we had a few years in which we were not where we wanted. But they saw my attitude, and that’s why there was that rapport, that love between us, it was mutual between the fans and me. It was amazing and it gave me extra motivation to play at Anfield. “
You’ll never walk alone
“The lyrics say it all. You can have a bad game, and a bad game later, but they will never stop believing in you. They won’t let you walk alone, as they say. People won’t boo you if you lose a ball. They will continue to believe in you because you play for Liverpool. And that confidence that people give you is enormous. There have been players who have cost a lot. They have not been very successful, but when they went out to the field they felt that love of the people. It’s amazing, and it gives you confidence. “
Jordan Henderson
“I think he is a player who has improved a lot. When he arrived at Liverpool, he came with the label of someone who had cost a lot of money. He was a young, English, who came from Sunderland. This could put some pressure on him, but to measure That he was gaining confidence with the team, he took a lot of things from Gerrard, and from experienced players like Carragher. He took things from me. I think that, as a captain, he has matured a lot. During his career, he has helped the club grow, with his personality and playing better football. He is a model for English football. Winning a Premier League title with Liverpool must have been fantastic for him, and it has made him bigger than he already was. “
Brendan Rodgers
“I think I had been at Liverpool for a year and a half when Brendan took office in July 2012. At that time, I had opportunities to sign for other clubs who contacted me, but he called me on the phone when I was in Uruguay from vacation, to tell me that he had another way of thinking, that he wanted to change the club and its philosophy, that he wanted the club to return to the Champions League and fight to win great trophies, that he was going to make the team play great football. He asked me to believe and trust him I liked that talk. I liked his conviction, the philosophy he wanted to implement in the club, so I spoke with my agent and the club to say that I did not want to leave., who wanted another chance to succeed at Liverpool. That year was not as good as we wanted, but the ideas were already quite clear. Then the 2012/13 season passed and I wanted to sign for Arsenal, since Arsenal had played the Champions League all previous seasons. “
Steven Gerrard
“I had a few more conversations with the coach, as well as with Gerrard. He was the one who convinced me. I told him that I wanted to continue to be successful, that I wanted to play the Champions League. So he said:”If this year we continue to improve as up to now, and you are at the level you need to be, next year you will be able to play for Bayern Munich, for Real Madrid, for Barcelona or in the club you want. You will have the opportunity to choose, but stay one more year. I remember that talk with Gerrard, and I remember everything the coach told me. He said things like: “Stay one more year, try it.” And, well, that was the year we came close to winning the Premier League. That’s thanks to the team’s effort, obviously, but above all to the philosophy and conviction that Brendan Rodgers transmitted to us as coach. “
Defeat against Liverpool on the last day
“I think that in this type of game, against big teams, and in the Champions League, the details can go against you. Any little detail, the slightest mistake, a thousandth of a second in which you lose focus … on the Champions League, you pay for it, that’s obvious. If from the first to the last whistle you don’t play with conviction, with personality and a desire to win, if you get distracted in a Champions League game, you pay for it. I think that’s what happened against Liverpool. We started very well, but they are strong and intelligent and have a lot of experience, and they took the lead in the first 20 or 25 minutes, until we got back into the game, I think in the second half, after Antoine Griezmann was sent off We fell a little behind because we had one less man, but we continue to play at the same level. The pace was very high, and they began to attack a little more until the penalty. “
How Atleti faces this day against the ‘red’
“Obviously each team has its strengths and weaknesses. We know how good Liverpool is on the counterattack when they are up front with their fast forwards. We know they have some weak points that we could exploit to our advantage, and we should exploit them again in the next game. We have to pay attention because, in addition to using those strengths, they have one more player, which is the Anfield crowd, and that complicates things for us “:
Simeone
“The coach plays an important role in the confidence of a player. And when he sees that the player does not have much confidence in training or in the game itself, He goes and talks to you and convinces you that you are capable of doing well, saying: “You play for Atlético for a reason, you are here for something.. The last game didn’t mean anything, you have to keep trying. That is when the player regains confidence. It happens a lot with a lot of players here who have a couple of bad games and then have a conversation with them and the next game they play amazingly, because the coach convinces them. He has a passion for football and has been a player, so he knows what the player needs in those difficult moments. That is why he is one of the best coaches in the world. He has a great career at Atlético. It is because of his personality and his way of living football and, of course, because of his technical knowledge and wisdom.