MADRID, 3 Jun. (EUROPA PRESS) –
The Atlético de Madrid coach, Diego Pablo Simeone, stated this Saturday about the return of João Félix that he “does not” have “any personal plan with any footballer”, pointing out that he only thinks about the start of the summer preseason as soon as his pupils play, against Villarreal CF, the last match of LaLiga Santander 2022/23.
“I don’t have any personal plan with any of the footballers that make up the club. We have a plan with the focus set to return from July 7, or those who are with their teams on the 10th. We will focus on what we have been doing these six months”, commented the ‘Cholo’ Simeone during a press conference.
Thus, the mattress coach stressed that in the second round of LaLiga “a good team was formed” after the World Cup last December. “We are finishing a League where the group has shown personality, good football and collective work to defend and attack. We are not going to change much from what we have to what is to come, so hopefully the little that comes to help will give us a very good quality jump to this that was done in six months”, indicated on possible signings.
“A season with many things to make us grow. We’ve been talking about it throughout the season. In the first stage there are more things you have left to learn than in the second. Because when things go better, it’s always easier; and when there are things keeping their obstacles, you are getting creativity, search to straighten the situation and that helped us to grow in that sense”, added Simeone.
“Finishing second is not the same as finishing third. I consider that it was a good season and that we were unable to meet our objectives in Europe, which is costing us. It was no coincidence that we were left out as we were, it is an important call to look at looking to the future how to deal with this competition because it is costing us, in previous seasons as well”, he said about the Champions League.
“In the Copa del Rey, we had a good tournament; and in LaLiga we met the goal that the club sets season after season of being in the top four. If we come out second, we can say that it’s very good; and if we come out third, it will be good”, valued the ‘Cholo’.
The rojiblanco coach said that the Champions League “is marking” Atlético “and also Spanish football, except for Real Madrid, which competes in a different way in this competition.” “It’s hard for us, I don’t know if it’s due to the intensity of the game or the tactical choice of the coaches, but it’s real that it’s costing all the Spanish teams in recent years, and especially us,” he lamented.
“We suffered in the previous season, beyond competing well with Manchester United and Manchester City, but in the group this year we had a lot of difficulties to get through. We have to improve it from all aspects: physical, tactical, intensity The game in Spain stops continuously, in other Leagues it is much more dynamic and it would be necessary to sit down and see clearly where it is going, but we will have to give different attention to the Champions League”, he predicted.
“It is clear that it is not easy for any of the teams to have met their objectives in the last round, but there is a professionalism that some represent better than others and we hope to represent it in the best way in this game, against a team with good characteristics. Playing At home you have a greater responsibility and drive, we imagine a scenario of difficulty”, he concluded about the imminent league date against the ‘Yellow Submarine’.