Atlético Madrid coach Diego Simeone previewed a top of the table La Liga clash with Barcelona on Sunday night at the Metropolitano in his press conference on Saturday.
Asked why those results could differ, Simeone said, “I don’t have a reason to explain certain results. We’re always playing against a very good side, possibly the best, I have no doubt about that.”
His praise continued, adding, “they’ve got immense talent from midfield onwards, and it’ll be a tough, difficult match, as it always is against
Barcelona. We’ll have to take the game to where we think we can cause them problems.”
Diego Simeone on how to stop Lamine Yamal and Raphinha
“We’re not really looking to motivate the defence. We’re looking to try, as a team, to carry on working in the same vein and try to play the sort of game we want to.”
Simeone on comparing the current Barcelona side with that of Guardiola and Messi
“No, it’s not my place to make comparisons; I’m here to prepare for tomorrow’s match and I hope to do so in the best possible way for our fans and our team.”
Simeone on Johnny Cardoso’s return and his chances of starting
“Yes, it’s been a significant effort on his part to be fit. To be honest, he’s worked very well in training, particularly in the sessions we’ve had leading up to this match. He’ll certainly be with the squad tomorrow, and we’ll decide tomorrow who starts the match.”
Simeone on Jonathan David and Kang-in Lee’s playing time
“And how do you assess the issue of fewer minutes? What would constitute ‘fewer minutes’? How many minutes would be ideal? Well, I believe they’re playing the minutes in which they can bring something positive to the team and, obviously, I try to get the best out of each player in the role they’re given.”
Simeone on Raphinha’s good form
“Yes, well, I’ll say it again, just as I said several times last season. For me, he’s an extraordinary player, hard-working, quick, with goals and assists. To be honest, last season was an incredible one for him, and now he’s started brilliantly in a different position, which he’s also doing very well and which gives the team a lot of options.”
Simeone on how Barcelona have changed since last season
“Well, I don’t think they’ve changed their style of play because it’s very good. The truth is, he clearly embodies his manager’s philosophy, and he’s done an extraordinary job since arriving at Barcelona. He’s managed to instil his philosophy in the players, which is to press high up the pitch and play with a high defensive line. And well, they’re doing very well because they win back a lot of balls and score plenty of goals. What was the question? Well, I’ve got a bit confused now. Sorry about that. What’s changed? Yes, we can see that Robert Lewandowski was more of a positional number nine. At various points last season, the manager tried to change that with Dani Olmo, who’s perhaps a bit different to Raphinha. And I think that’s where the difference lies to some extent. Raphinha can drop into an attacking midfield role to help build play. Now Anthony Gordon is on the left, and he’s doing very well. And well, they’ve lost the reference point they had with Robert Lewandowski, who was more positional. And now, defensively, it’s possibly more complex because, of course, Raphinha coming out to play isn’t the same as having a number nine up front, quite apart from the threat he poses when he’s in the box.”
Simeone on challenging Barcelona for the ball
“We’re playing against a team, and the team we’re up against is very good. We know we’re going to struggle for much of the match and, obviously, we’ll have to play the game we’ve got in mind.”
