“It is a pleasure to see Liverpool, we will try to hurt them”

Diego Pablo Simeone attended the press in the run-up to the game against Liverpool, where Atlético received the English team at the Wanda Metropolitano with the utmost enthusiasm for repeating the triumph. The coach did not want to refer to the criticism of his style by Klopp and recalled the great atmosphere experienced to receive the English in the last match in the mattress fiefdom, in the round of 16 of 2020.

How can it affect them for so long without competing?

On the contrary, we will play in the next 17 days a lot of games. It suited us well for the guys who stayed behind and were able to add workloads and recover from their physical problems. Those who have played have returned between Wednesday and Thursday. Tomorrow we have one more training session to see the evolution of Giménez, Llorente and Cunha, who have been training very well since yesterday and the expectation is a great match full of our people and with red-and-white jerseys. That previous game (the round of 16 of 2020) we started to win before the match, because the people were very important to transmit those energies and they will remember it because it was a great night.

How do you face this calendar?

What I have clear is that we can take care of the games that we have to play from tomorrow. We have no weight in anything and it is useless to give an opinion, the people who are in UEFA, in CONMEBOL … they will decide how they want, they have always done so. Before the playoffs were played in a month, now they are distributed, before there were friendlies and there is always something. What I have to do is be fine when we play.

Klopp is one of the most critical coaches with his style, what would you say to him?

Nothing (nada).

What game do you expect tomorrow?

I think Chelsea, Manchester City and Liverpool are going through a fantastic period of play. Watching all three play with different characteristics and rhythms gives pleasure. Liverpool has mobility, speed, is forceful in the area, faces one-on-one duels, leaves spaces without fear behind the defense, is dangerous on the counterattack, Van Dijk gave him the security that he could not have last season in that defensive line that is so important also for Liverpool. They are great footballers with a very clear idea and with a very intense attack and we will try to take the game to where we think we can hurt them.

Is it a time to risk the headdresses?

Tomorrow we will have another training session in the morning to try to confirm the feelings of the players who come back from injury. The only game that matters is the one that comes and the one that comes is Liverpool.

Can you match Liverpool’s pace of play?

It is clear that we must equalize the intensity of the game and then generate the things that we will try to generate in tomorrow’s game.

How is Luis Suárez?

Luis for us is decisive, fundamental, very important in our system and he is with the same enthusiasm as all those who left with the national team and those who stayed here, they are all with the same enthusiasm.

Would you say that Salah is a candidate for the Ballon d’Or?

I care about the Liverpool game. Salah is an extraordinary footballer who has been doing great things in the Premier League and the Champions for years.