Atlético Madrid coach Diego Simeone spoke about his team’s 3-1 defeat to Manchester City to praise 16-year-old goalscorer Jorge Domínguez and debutant Kang-in Lee, while he expressed some concerns ahead of the season starting in earnest.
Simeone hinted that there could be a first-team role ahead for Domínguez, who has featured regularly in defence throughout pre-season for Atlético.
“No decision has been made yet on whether he’ll stay with us. I don’t know where he stands,” Simeone reflected. “(But)
you know me, age doesn’t matter to me when it comes to players.
“If he continues on this path, we have an important player on the rise,” Simeone continued. “We shouldn’t rush him, we need to protect him and he can help us.”
Diego Simeone on the game
“The general feeling was that we competed very well; the young players put in a great effort. Then the 2-1 goal turned the game in City’s favour, and they deserved to win.”
Simeone on Kang-in Lee’s debut
“He played just a few minutes. Little by little, he’ll start to find the team’s rhythm. He’ll need some time to adapt, just like every other player does.”
Simeone on Kang-in’s position
“I don’t know where Kang-in will play. He can play on the right, on the left, or as an attacking midfielder, he adapts to various systems. We’ll try to put him where we think he’ll best serve the team.”
Simeone on concerns
“The truth is, I’m worried because there are only nine days left until we start competing and we still haven’t been able to train together as a group, or even play together as a team. We had 10 internationals playing in the World Cup final and semi-final, and that was something really special. But that also meant they couldn’t come back earlier because they needed and deserved their holidays.
We’re surely going to face difficulties, and we need to start looking at them now so we can anticipate them.”
Jorge Domínguez on his goal
There was also a brief interview with the man of the moment, Jorge Domínguez, as he spoke to television crews pitchside.
“For me, Atleti is my life, and scoring that goal was a dream come true,” he said. “I was so happy, so excited. I couldn’t believe it. It means everything to me.”
