MADRID, 25 Abr. (EUROPA PRESS) –
The Mallorca coach, Javier Aguirre, stated on Tuesday that “the one who considers Atlético de Madrid dead”, his next rival in LaLiga Santander, “is wrong”, at the same time that he praised the work of Diego Pablo Simeone “squeezing” the rojiblanco bench, and recognized that exceeding 42 points this season “is not a guarantee of anything”, but it gives him “tranquility”.
“If someone has known how to squeeze their teams, that’s Diego Pablo Simeone. What a way to have their teams at the same level for 10 years. It’s admirable. I was there for 3 years and they treated me very well, I only have words of gratitude. It’s “A great team, of the first level. Whoever considers Atleti dead is wrong,” he commented on his former team – he led Atlético three seasons – in the run-up to this Wednesday’s duel (7:30 p.m.) at the Metropolitan.
Mallorca reached 40 points after beating Getafe (3-1), with a ‘cushion’ now of 10 points on relegation. However, Aguirre insisted that he wants to achieve permanence “as soon as possible.” “Reaching 42 points continues to give me peace of mind, but this year salvation is going to be more expensive. Last year we saved ourselves with 39 points,” he recalled.
“The 42 points give you a lot of confidence, but they are not a guarantee of staying in ‘First’ and against Atlético we have the first opportunity of the eight that we have left to surpass that figure. It will not be decided until the end, it is a very even league It is not a guarantee of anything, but I am calm”, he added.
The Mexican coach admitted that his team’s current situation “is more comfortable than four weeks ago” when they went on “an ugly streak of six games without winning.” “We have won two games in a row, but we cannot relax because we are going to a very complicated field,” he analyzed.
“We are not used to playing every 3 or 4 days. There are people who are tired and we will try to put on a fresh team, because Atlético demands you and makes you run a lot”, he pointed out about the physical aspect, in a vermilion team with Giovanni’s casualties, Luna and Augustinsson due to injury, and Raíllo and Ruiz de Galarreta due to suspension.
On whether a victory at the rojiblanco fiefdom would allow them to look towards Europe, the coach pointed out that he prefers to “always tread carefully and wait for events”. “I appreciate that people want to ‘march’, we think that we must spend many years in ‘First’ to aspire to higher levels. We are in the process of settling in ‘First’ to continue growing as an institution”, lowered the euphoria .
Finally, Aguirre valued the form of the South Korean Kang-in Lee, who is going through “his best moment” at the club and “perhaps of his career”. “He has a contract and the contracts are for something. I’m counting on him. He is very confident, he has assumed the stripes, the World Cup came in handy and he looks very comfortable,” he concluded about a possible departure in summer.