The Colchonero coach described the reception and attitude of the Metropolitano as “something wonderful” until winning 4-2 in extra time.
MADRID, 19 Ene. (EUROPA PRESS) –
The coach of Atlético de Madrid, Diego Pablo Simeone, highlighted this Friday his own changes against Real Madrid in the round of 16 of the Copa del Rey, having given them “vitamin” at a more necessary moment than in the recent Spanish Super Cup, to the slipstream of “something wonderful” from the reception to winning 4-2 in extra time.
“The changes gave us vitamins, much better than in the Super Cup, and that means that good things happen. A magical footballer like Griezmann appeared in extra time. We are lucky to have him and that he wants to be with us, and we have to try to take advantage of it,” said 'Cholo' Simeone from the Cívitas Metropolitano press room.
In this sense, the mattress coach praised the colorful and loud reception of his fans with flares and songs. “We left the hotel here and found something wonderful, that excites you and makes you want to continue working. Put aside the 12 years we have been in the club, it seemed like we had arrived today,” he summarized.
“But in reality it is the round of 16. You see it there… and it is impossible not to give your heart. We interpreted the game very well, we were better in the area and we took a victory, I think it was deserved, which is much more important than some round of 16,” argued the Atleti coach.
“In football there are no merits, there is no revenge, those are just words; there is a new game, a new way of playing. I think that these last three games against them, all three were very similar. We tried to play in a certain way, They are surely the best team in the world,” 'Cholo' reiterated in his praise of Real Madrid.
“They can score a goal from a counterattack, from medium distance… When at the end of the game they need a tall and strong forward because they need the goal, they do it and it's not luck. But we also compete well; and since we compete well, we were close to win the second. The other day in extra time they were better and today in extra time we were better,” Simeone insisted.
Asked again about the atmosphere before and during the match, the red and white coach recalled the round of 16 of the 2019/20 Champions League. “It reminded me of the Liverpool game, I saw something that is very difficult to defeat,” he commented on the matter.
“And when you appear in a scenario that is difficult to defeat, it gives a lot of energy to the players. After the 1-1 which came at a difficult moment for us, it could have been detrimental at the start of the second half, but quite the opposite,” 'Cholo' pointed out.
Finally, he avoided talking about the Brazilian forward Vinícius Jr. despite the obvious scuffle they had during a tense and angry meeting. “Nothing to comment on, things that can happen on the playing field,” the Atleti coach simply said.