MADRID, 16 Abr. (EUROPA PRESS) –
The Atlético de Madrid coach, Diego Pablo Simeone, praised Fernando Martínez, UD Almería goalkeeper, this Sunday for his “extraordinary afternoon” despite his team’s defeat at the Cívitas Metropolitano (2-1), in a match corresponding to matchday 29 and which has meant the sixth consecutive victory for the colchoneros in LaLiga Santander.
“Very, very good game by the team. Until the 80th minute, it was a game where we generated scoring situations. The Almería goalkeeper had an extraordinary afternoon and the sticks didn’t help us either. But I’ll take the 80 minutes that the team did “They were very good in a game where that short 2-1 lead to vertigo at the end of the game, and that any situation can make you lose two points. It was important for us,” Simeone said after the match before the microphones of Movistar Plus.
The ‘Cholo’ Simeone also analyzed the controversial review of the penalty not awarded to the mattress defender Josema Giménez, due to a previous offside by the rival striker Luis Suárez. “Today it was our turn. But I always think that the VAR is fair. Because, if today had not been fair…”, reflected the Atlético coach.
“The linesman on the right, in Atlético’s attack, took Llorente’s ‘offside’ that was not, took Griezmann’s ‘offside’ that was not, did not take the ‘offside’ of the last play that called for a penalty … and it’s a good thing the VAR is there! Because it helps us all to make it fairer and, in those fine plays that can sometimes be missed by the linesmen, it’s not decisive in a match”, he added about.
In addition, Simeone indicated that what Griezmann does “seems easy but it is not”. “He had a great game. I think the team played a very complete game. Good game rhythm, good scoring situations, Carrasco in an extraordinary state one against one, Llorente and Molina on the right attacking very well, Rodrigo [De Paul] and Koke managing the game, Ángel [Correa] looking for those situations that he couldn’t solve in the last meters…”, listed the ‘Cholo’.
“And the truth is that I am left with a very good feeling and they are three very important points”, stressed the Argentine coach. “We need to keep thinking about game by game. We have a week now to prepare for the game in Barcelona, where they are the best in the League without a doubt,” Simeone concluded, already thinking about his pupils’ next game against Barça.