Atlético Madrid coach Diego Simeone was equalling Luis Aragonés’ long-standing record for most wins for a La Liga coach on Saturday by beating Levante, but he was taking nothing for granted even as his team went temporarily top of the table.
“To be honest, it’s just a moment. The league is a long one. We know the path we must follow, which will continue to be the same plan we’ve always had: one match at a time, with all our enthusiasm, but always with the humility to recognise what we’re good at and
where we need to improve, because we need to improve in many areas,” he reflected.
“I keep saying that we’re in this phase of building the team, increasingly finding the right combinations, and you’re seeing that,” he continued. “I hope I have the ability to help the team always choose the best combinations so that we can maintain this form.”
Diego Simeone on the record for wins
“To be honest, I don’t really feel it’s mine. Frankly, I feel, of course, that it’s something to be shared. I think that, if I have to go back to the moment when Miguel Ángel (Gil Marín) first thought of me, of counting on me when I perhaps wasn’t yet a manager with that much experience in Europe, apart from my spell at Catania and the good work we’d done in Argentina… But without the opportunity he gave me, we wouldn’t have got to where we are today without that support. Not to mention all the people who have been part of my coaching staff over the last few years and all the work we’ve put in over the past 15 years. And, above all, my deepest gratitude goes to the players. Without them, this would be impossible, without having been able to share that commitment, that humility, that determination, that playing for a cause, that playing to stick to a plan. And the truth is that I’ve always had many men who’ve helped me, who’ve reinforced my position here, and every day before a match begins I say thank you, because spending 15 years at a club isn’t easy; building everything we’ve built isn’t simple. But I’m grateful to Miguel Ángel, to Enrique, to the players, to the coaching staff who’ve been by my side over the years, and to my current coaching staff. It’s clear that without all of them, I’d never have got to where I am today.”
Simeone on the team’s good form
“Yes, well, I think the match got off to a tough, difficult start. We knew they were going to come out strong. To be honest, in the opening stages, I’d say the first 10 to 12 minutes, they had depth in their play. Jan made a very good save early on, until we gradually started to press better and began to understand where we could cause them problems. Morten’s goal came, which was already a bit of a sign of what we were looking to achieve. Grimaldo’s goal followed and, well, we went into half-time with an increasingly clear understanding of how to win the match. I think the second half was a very good one, particularly in the first 25 to 30 minutes, when we could have scored sooner. But the truth is that those who always watch the match and the training sessions from behind the fence will have seen that we’ve been working on it, they can say so, we’ve seen that we’ve been working on these transitions to deal with a team that, obviously, plays the way Levante do. To be honest, it was an extraordinary move and Baena, once again, showed incredible vision, whilst Giuliano’s run was excellent, as was his composure in front of goal. And, well, we went 2-0 up, and that 2-0 lead put us in a better position, where we needed to defend. Robin came on very well; to be honest, he made a real impact in the time he was on the pitch. Sørloth, David and Lookman all helped us in that aspect of the game, which is perhaps the toughest part, but they handled it very well and we need everything we can get.”
Simeone on defensive improvement
“I think the team has more potential. In previous matches, when Cuti wasn’t playing, we used to say that if we’re missing Cuti, who’s the one giving us the most solidity… Well, we’ve now played two matches with Cuti, Marc, Robin, Hancko and other players who understand our style of play, and I think we’re allowing ourselves to work collectively, which gives us the confidence to know that we have key players in attack and that we have options to change the course of the match depending on how the game unfolds. And, well, hopefully we can keep the enthusiasm of every one of the lads at the forefront of our day-to-day work.”
Simeone on Grimaldo’s adaptation
“We knew when we spoke to him. I had a lovely chat with him. He’s well aware of when he started, and to be honest I really liked his commitment to the idea of coming here to do well at Atlético Madrid. To be honest, we always told him we wanted to see the player from Bayer Leverkusen, because he was absolutely brilliant there, and I think his game is at a very high level right now. We always need to improve in many areas, as he obviously knows, but he has an attacking style that makes us much more aggressive and intense when he manages to break through the lines, pop up in different areas, provide assists and take responsibility for taking penalties. And, well, let’s hope he carries on like this because he’s going to have his work cut out for him in these final few matches.”
