“It is a miracle that, with our Latin character, that we burn houses fast, Simeone has been at Atlético de Madrid for so long”
MADRID, 13 Ene. (EUROPA PRESS) –
The coach of UD Almería, Joan Francesc Ferrer ‘Rubi’, acknowledged this Friday the difficulty of the match against Atlético de Madrid next Sunday, at the same time that he confessed his admiration for ‘Cholo’ Simeone and the importance of achieving a victory to leave them a “memory forever” against one of the best three teams in LaLiga.
“Beating one of the best three teams in the Spanish league leaves behind and I remember it forever. We were close against Real Madrid and we didn’t get it. I approach it as an opportunity. I want the player to be calm because whatever happens, yes you have worked hard and fought well, the people are going to be happy. Obviously we want to try to win, but beating Atlético de Madrid is not easy”, the coach said at a press conference.
Rubi was confident ahead of the clash and analyzed the keys to beating Atlético. “Our goal is for us to see an Almería win, lose or draw, have options and go for the game. And, on the other hand, having already made the corrections, forget about the last game and show that we were in a good line of play and team. We want to recover that ‘feeling’ that is what makes you be closer to scoring again. That is my obsession for this game”, he pointed out.
“It’s a match against an opponent that is very strong in duels, in disputes, which has a very good game and great quality players apart. We have to try to make Almería look good, be in the game, go for them because we want to win games again to be in a good dynamic,” he said.
Even so, the Catalan coach downplayed Atlético’s casualties and once again insisted on the assets that Almería has. “More than anything, you know that they have players who have been world champions and have joined a little later. De Paul was playing before and he could come in at any moment. Nahuel is already in, Correa is a player who comes and goes. But the idea of the game is exactly the same and the team is working on the line that it was working on previously,” he asserted.
“Our trick is to clearly believe that we can win the game and go for them. Then that has to be seen. A team that generates chances and danger like us, when we stop doing it, the opponent feels comfortable and knows that at any moment can beat you. Within that order, we need to show our nails up. That is what has made us be one of the teams that has scored the most goals at home in the first parts and I want to recover those feelings”, he acknowledged.
Aware of his rival’s potential, Rubi said he was clear about his game plan. “Analyzing Atlético’s matches in depth, there may be some variation in the defensive phase, but in the offensive phase he always maintains the same drawing, whether with some players or with others. They have very clear ideas of how to attack and their strengths. They bring people together for inside, if you let them turn they will send you balls behind the defense”, he explained.
“I think that some have remained a bit with the image of the first years that it was a team that played practically withdrawn and only went out on the counterattack. In my view, it is a team that has given new situations year after year in its form to attack. They are very worked in attack, another thing is that afterwards it turns out well or badly and that they mark more or less”, stood out.
Thus, Rubi highlighted the figure of ‘Cholo’ Simeone and recognized the difficulty of holding out for so long on a bench. “It is a miracle that, with our Latin character, that we burn houses fast, Simeone has been at Atlético de Madrid for so long. I congratulate him on his career because for that he had to achieve good results. I don’t know if in the 50-60s some coach was more than eleven years. This is a very, very difficult fact, “he added.
In addition, the coach confessed his admiration for Antoine Griezmann, the only player who, if he had the option, would remove from the rival eleven. “With all due respect because they have a spectacular squad, the player I see in great form is Griezmann, he scores more or less goals. He’s making his teammates play and creating chances. If he feels that he’s participating calmly here, It’s going to hurt us a lot,” he argued.
Finally, the Almería coach was happy with the arrival of new players, although he did not ensure that there will be more signings. “I am very happy with the arrival of Luis (Suárez). He seems to me a player of a very good level for us, that is the great news. From there, the competition is greater and decisions will have to be made based on performance , that is what is going to mark that one or the other plays more”, he indicated.
“I am not close to saying there will be a movement or two. The club today has already stated it and I think it will go very day by day with all this. That is, a lot can happen or nothing can happen I think we have a very good squad, that the team has shown progression in the course of the first games to the current situation. But we are not open or closed to any specific position”, he concluded.