MADRID, 2 Dic. (EUROPA PRESS) –
The coach of Atlético de Madrid, Diego Pablo Simeone, has assured that the team has “shortened” in recent years the distance with respect to FC Barcelona, which they face this Sunday, and Real Madrid “based on facts, not on words”, and expects a “tough” match against the Blaugranas at the Estadi Olímpic Lluís Companys.
“Barcelona and Real Madrid always start, in principle, with more chances of winning. In recent times we have shortened this situation based on actions, not words. We must continue working to continue shortening that distance more and more than before It was huge,” he declared at a press conference.
The Argentine coach expects “a nice game” in the Olympic State Lluís Companys. “It is a team that has very good players, that is very well led by its coach, that has very clear ideas with the team he has. We will try to take the game to where we believe we can hurt them, seeking to continue the line of late. “, he analyzed.
“All the coaches, in the run-up, imagine the ideal match for our team, but there is a rival in front of us who we will see if they allow us to do what we imagine,” he said, without wanting to enter into the debate about style. “That doesn't take up my time. I understand that you have to give your opinion, but these numbers are just numbers,” he warned.
Furthermore, he considers that the Barça team “has many good things, especially the offensive records.” “They have many good second-line breaks. Due to the category and quality of their players, they can take advantage of this type of movement,” he said, and he does not believe that the rival players will arrive at the clash discouraged. “You would have to be inside the rival's locker room to interpret if this is so. Possibly they are happy and content, looking forward, especially to tomorrow's game, which is also very important for them. We think about ourselves, about the line that we have been having in recent times,” he stressed.
“For us it is very important, as will be the Almería match next week. We will play with a rival who will fight until the end to win LaLiga because their history demands it. Tomorrow we will face a tough rival who we have not yet beaten in home since I arrived at Atlético de Madrid,” he continued.
ABOUT JOAO FÉLIX: “I'M NOT TALKING ABOUT GUYS WHO ARE NOT ON OUR TEAM”
On the other hand, Simeone does not consider that neither Antoine Griezmann, exculé, nor Joao Félix, exrojiblanco, have to prove anything this Sunday. “Football cannot be explained by a match. The important thing is continuity, sustaining a job, having a story behind it… That's what counts. Everyone can play a match well,” he said, but he did not want to talk about the Portuguese. “Normally I don't talk about the guys who aren't on our team, I continue along the same lines,” he said.
In another vein, 'Cholo' believes that the injured Pablo Barrios will return to the team soon. “We think that Barrios will be with us in a short time, the break will help him return, we have time to recover him in the best way and we hope it will be in January,” he said.
“I love Pablo, he is a youth player, he has all the characteristics of the midfielder that we like: he has game, he has association, he has arrival, he has a change of pace, he is aggressive, intense… He is increasingly involved in what he has to improve, because he is small, but he has a future and a great present,” he continued.
Finally, he assured that Samu Lino and Roro Riquelme “can play together.” “One in front of the other, Riquelme with a changed leg… I think about it because they are both good, because they have a high game intensity and offensive aggressiveness. Lino has an associative game from midfield forward with many variations, and Roro “He has a long route with much more strength. Defensively they are similar, they are working, and we need them both,” he explained.