Atlético Madrid coach Diego Simeone celebrated a fifth consecutive win by beating Manchester United in the UEFA Champions League as he spoke about his team’s improved goal-scoring and defensive balance.
“I think we’re scoring more goals than we were at this stage last year,” he reflected. “We’ve won these last five matches, and, obviously, when you score goals, it’s always much easier to get matches under way”.
Even so, he added that, “I think we need to improve our defensive balance further and we’ll
work on that and focus our energy there”.
Diego Simeone on Koke
“We know just how important Koke is to the club as a person. The truth is, it was a difficult time for Koke. He has a wonderful family around him. We’re standing by him emotionally today. He’s a strong lad and, obviously, with the lovely family he has around him, he’ll get through this.”
Simeone on support for Julián Álvarez
“Well, I think the fans’ support is always linked to what the players give. And people want to see the best in everyone. And Julián is delivering. He already put in a good performance in the second half of the match against Alavés. Today he had the chance to score. He’s getting closer to being the player that all Atlético Madrid fans want to see. And we need him.”
Simeone on competition between Julián Álvarez and Jonathan David
“They can play together too. And honestly, it’s good that the competition is fierce. Because that’s always been one of our greatest strengths when we haven’t won a league title: having strong internal competition and key players.”
Simeone on managing Pablo Barrios
“We’re trying to manage his playing time as best we can. And he’s getting better every day; he’s getting stronger every day. And, well, let’s hope we can manage him through the countless matches ahead. I’d love to play him for the full 90 minutes. But, obviously, we have to look after him. And we’re going to look after him so that he can perform at his best throughout the season.”
Simeone on Johnny Cardoso’s form and Morten Hjulmand’s introduction
“You asked me the question and your answer explains it all. I think he’s in great form at the moment. In the match against Real Sociedad, when he came on, he started playing at a high level. We need this player. He’s the player the club went out to sign. And, well, any competition is good for us. Morten came on very well; I liked how he got into the game. It wasn’t easy to slot into the flow of the match when he came on, but he did it very well. And, well, that always gives us options within a team that needs to rely on everyone.”
Simeone on Manchester United and the match
“Well, to be honest, we were lucky enough to get off to a flying start. The build-up to the first goal was brilliant. We knew straight away they’d come out pressing high because they’re very good at it. But we also knew that, if we could get past that initial press, we’d create some good chances. To be honest, it was a really good move. After that, we steered the match towards where we thought we could cause them problems, out wide of the central midfielders. And that pattern repeated itself, where we had, I think, several chances to extend our lead. They also had a dangerous chance that Llorente saved very well in the first half and again in the second. But I think, overall, we played the better game. We created more chances and had more possession, I believe, if I’m not mistaken. And the team always tried to push forward in search of more goals.”
Simeone on Cristian Romero
“We’ve wanted Cuti for two years. We were close to signing him two years ago. Unfortunately, we had to wait another year. He’s a special player. Class, character, leadership. Things you can’t really explain. You either have them or you don’t. He possesses them, rooted in his humility and respect for his team-mates. And the fact that, even though he’s only just joined the team, he’s already playing a key role. Game after game, he’s proving what a top player he is.”
