The 'Cholo', who celebrated the victory over Rayo, sees it as “unfair” to have two days less rest than Athletic for the Cup
MADRID, 1 Feb. (EUROPA PRESS) –
The coach of Atlético de Madrid, Diego Pablo Simeone, described the match against Rayo Vallecano this Wednesday as “tough”, which ended with victory in the 90th minute, before thinking about the derby against Real Madrid and a Cup semi-final that will later have an “unfair” calendar.
“The game was tough, in the same way that it was difficult for Real, because Rayo is a very tough rival. It was similar to us. In the first half we had the spaces but we couldn't take advantage of them,” he said in a conference of the press, after a 2-1 at the Metropolitano with a goal from Memphis in the 90th minute.
“We didn't have a clear chance of winning. A good play appeared between Memphis and Griezmann, a play that seemed like nothing could happen and we won a very important game because of the result, because we gave rest to some players and others have added minutes that “They need them. The final result is better than the game we played,” he added.
The Argentine coach, who praised the Dutch forward and Pablo Barrios, was asked about Atlético's protest for having to play the Cup semi-final on Wednesday, playing on Sunday, while Athletic Club plays its League match on Friday. “I'm a fan. They don't respect the fan. It's not that the Federation doesn't respect Atlético de Madrid. I already knew before we played against Sevilla that one of the two was going to pass. Yes, to play in a semi-final that is so important For Spain, the Copa del Rey, the Federation decides that it has two more days to prepare for the semifinal, it seems unfair to me,” he said.
“One day it is understandable. What is the difference between us playing on Wednesday or Thursday, none, they don't want to change it. I read it as a lack of respect for our fans. It is a matter of respect, people come to the stadium to see the footballers well. If a team has five days to prepare for a semifinal and another has three, I get angry,” he added.
On the other hand, Simeone, who pointed out that against Madrid and Athletic he will play with “the best”, was asked about the debut of the young Belgian Arthur Vermeeren as a starter. “There are times when you have to invest minutes in players who are going to be important. A lot of responsibility, he is a boy who has personality,” he concluded.