Diego Pablo Simeone spoke to the media after Atlético's win against Cádiz. The rojiblanco team has 23 matches in a row without losing in the league.
What have you liked the most?
I'm not just going to talk about today's game. What generates enthusiasm and enthusiasm for me is what has happened since the draw against Huesca or Villarreal or the defeat in Munich. I see the team well, with dynamics, enthusiasm, strength, desire to do things and see how we evolve in training. What makes me happy is that those players who had fewer minutes like Hermoso, Herrera or Llorente last year, are being very important in the team today. There is an improvement far beyond today's result. We play with four midfielders who can occupy many places, Saúl opening the field, Llorente entering from the inside, Koke where he feels most comfortable and that gave us a feeling that we were going to carry on the game well.
They are going to sue him to fight for the title.
They know us, they know that beyond joy we depend on what is going to happen in the game against Barcelona. There are 15 days left, players are leaving with the national team, we will have to wait for the time we have and we are not far from that. It is our way of thinking and we live in the next game.
Today there was the success that was lacking in Russia.
It is true that the goals positioned us better in the game, in the result and in the consequence of how I could progress. They had to change, they could not play as they usually come playing and until today they had won everything outside, playing a clear and concrete football and we believe that we could sustain the good things of them and explode where we tried to hurt them.
Why this new version of the equipment? Is it because of the arrival of Suárez?
When we returned from the pandemic, the team showed good situations to see, we felt closer to what we have always sought. Against Leipzig I understood that we did not have more than what we gave because we had given everything on those dates to be in the Champions League. We continue in the same way, we have improved in training and it makes us improve in games. I am happy to have players who last year did not have so many minutes and today they are winning it. I have no commitment to anyone and I need them to interpret what the team wants. Those who do will come over to play.
You can pull anyone on your squad.
I think we have a balanced squad. Let's wait for the return of those who are out, Vrsaljko will replace Trippier, Vitolo, Costa, Carrasco … I think we have a balanced squad and it will be up to us to live with this. Koke the other day he had to be a substitute and then he made a great game, today it happened with Correa and then he came in and broke it, that's what we need, people with their heads ready to help Atlético de Madrid.
On the next day Barcelona comes, is it a key game for LaLiga?
We will see when the players return in what conditions we see them and we will form the teams accordingly. Today we believed that we need more strength in the middle and we removed Correa and tried to hurt the rival with the ones we had. The next game we will try to treat it in the same way and I don't think there is one game that determines everything, game by game is the fastest way to get closer to the goal.