Atlético Madrid coach Diego Simeone spoke at Anfield on Tuesday evening ahead of the UEFA Champions League opener against Liverpool. He discussed the importance of the players on the pitch to decide the result, despite his lauding of counterpart Andoni Iraola.
“I can imagine all sorts of scenarios, but the reality will be whatever happens on the pitch,” he explained. “As managers, we imagine attacking, getting into the box, goals being scored, but then there’s reality: when the match starts, things happen that we hadn’t imagined.”
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“I can see Iraola trying to implement everything he has instilled in his other teams. He works on everyone’s tactical understanding and keeps everyone involved. It takes time to find the right approach; he’s developing, and the team is improving. He also has some very good players; he’s a terrific manager who has a clear vision of what works, and that will rub off on the players, enabling him to convey the style of football he envisions.”
“Jonathan (David) arrived very recently and couldn’t play the other day due to an injury. Julián (Alvarez) is still getting fit. I don’t see him starting, but he’ll help us as the match progresses.”
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“It’s very important for the club that the final is at the Metropolitano. As for us, we have to work incredibly hard to be in contention for that privileged spot. We’re in a phase of development, of settling in; there are lots of new players, the situation with Julián, David’s arrival at the end of the transfer window, the guys from the national team who arrived late, and nobody seems to care… Little by little, we’ll find our feet.”
“I don’t think what happened in Bilbao had anything to do with motivation. It was a lapse in concentration and we lost. Motivation is something else entirely. Given that we’re playing in a marvelous stadium, with an incredible atmosphere, let’s see if we’re up to the task.”
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“When you join a new team, you’re brimming with enthusiasm. That rubs off on others. In that respect, Iraola will have that advantage over me.”
“I don’t know what we can define as playing styles. I don’t know what it means to attack and defend. You can have possession and not take a shot, or take three shots and win… There are teams that tend to be aggressive, like Liverpool, and Atlético have conveyed that same feeling too.”
“He’s recovering. He’s got this injury that’s keeping him out. We need him; he’s important. Whether it’s 90, 60 or 20 minutes, he brings things to the team that we don’t have at the moment. Hopefully he’ll be back soon.”
