MADRID, 18 Sep. (EUROPA PRESS) –
Atlético de Madrid midfielder Koke Resurrección has said that it is “better not to even mention” the controversy surrounding Real Madrid striker Vinícius, who they will face in the derby next week, and believes that the club has made “a great effort” to “be able to compete against the best.”
“I prefer not to talk about it because then they put things in my mouth that are not true and they start giving me many titles that are not true either. I prefer not to talk about that subject, honestly. It has reached a point where it is better not to even mention it. Then they tell me things that are not true and I do not deserve my family or many people around me to hear it,” he said in an interview on El Larguero.
He also acknowledged that he is experiencing the week of the derby “in a special way”. “We still have a week to go. There is still the start of the Champions League, which is the most important thing, and thinking about the day to day. It is true that when the days before that match arrive it is special. You always have the match against Real Madrid marked on the calendar because they are the eternal rival and you always want to beat them. Hopefully we can give that joy to our people and win that match,” he stressed.
First, they will have the challenge of making their debut in “a new Champions League”. “We hope it brings us joy and we face it with enthusiasm from the first day. We have made a good start to the season and we hope to start the Champions League well too. Hopefully it will be this year, but you know how football is, you have to fight. There is still a long way to go. First on Thursday, which is the most important thing, and winning,” he said, before talking about this Thursday’s opponent, RB Leipzig, “a team with a lot of dynamism”. “We play at home with a slightly strange format. We have to take advantage of the home games starting with Thursday’s,” he added.
On another note, the Madrid native spoke about the start of the EA Sports LaLiga. “Barcelona have made a spectacular start, they have won the first five games, the other day they achieved a solid victory against Girona, who had a spectacular season last season… It’s not surprising because they have great footballers. They are candidates to win LaLiga. Madrid have failed in two games and drawn and so have we, but we are there and there is still a lot of time left,” he said.
Regarding the new signings, he explained that “very important and high-quality people” have arrived. “We have also lost important people who had given a lot to the club. It has been a good start to the season, saving the draw at home against Espanyol, people are adapting well. We have had difficult away games, like Villarreal and Bilbao. The team is strong, people are adapting to what the manager wants. The team is eager, they are very excited,” he explained.
Speaking about the Argentinean Julián Álvarez, he highlighted “his willingness to always listen” and “the intensity he puts into training and matches.” “And then, obviously, the goal. It’s true that he only arrived a few days ago, but I’m sure he’s going to score a lot of goals for Atlético de Madrid and bring a lot of joy,” he said, before talking about Conor Gallagher.
“He has shown intensity, he comes from a different kind of football like the Premier League and it shows. He is a typical ‘box to box’ player there, which suits us very well, he brings a lot of aggression to the centre of the field and that is something that was missing,” he continued about the English footballer.
The Atlético midfielder also believes that the Atlético fans have hope for the new season thanks to the new signings. “You can see the enthusiasm of the people with the huge investment of the club, with Conor, with Le Normand, with Sorloth… A great effort has been made at the club to be able to compete against the best and now it is all of us who have to prove ourselves day by day to be at the level that Atlético de Madrid needs to be at,” he said.
On another note, he believes that this season they are “being thrown at less” and the team “is more compact.” “I think that Robin’s arrival has been spectacular for us in the centre of defence. As long as we continue to be spared from injuries, the team will be fine. Real Madrid and Barcelona, when they won LaLiga this season, have had few goals conceded. If they concede few goals against you, then your quality up front will help you score sooner or later,” he said.
Finally, regarding his future at Atlético after renewing his contract at the start of the season, Koke said that he is taking it “game by game”. “I feel strong, eager and excited. Until the day when my legs give out or I feel that I am not important for the team, I will try to be here as much as possible and help the team,” he concluded.