Atlético Madrid coach Diego Simeone spoke ahead of the tie against Manchester United in the Champions League on Tuesday night at the Metropolitano.
Before the game, Simeone addressed the recent form of two players in particular; Ademola Lookman, who has been struggling, and Álex Baena, who has been excelling.
“Every player goes through their own phases, obviously, I don’t think there’s a player who can maintain a level of ten all the time; there’s always a dip, and it’s clear that Ademola Lookman is
going through a phase where he’s not performing as he’d like to and as we’d like to see him, because he’s shown us what he’s capable of, but he works every day to become that player, the dribbler,” Simeone explained. “He needs to keep dribbling, he needs to lose the ball, he needs to keep pushing forward, because he’ll do well, because he’s got what it takes and because he’s a goalscorer.”
He also spoke about another attacking midfielder as he said, “Álex Baena, on the other hand, comes from a different situation: a season marred by injuries, perhaps not as consistent as he would have liked in his first season, a world-class performance, confidence, assurance, a great run of form, and, well, trying to manage, as I said earlier, the best moments of each player for the good of the team”.
Diego Simeone on Julián Álvarez and scoring goals
“I think strikers with Julián Álvarez’s qualities always need to score goals, it’s not just him. It’s true that, beyond his clinical finishing, he’s a team player; he’s someone who links up very well with others, who can provide assists, and who has many more skills to offer than just scoring goals. So the other day he had a good second half in the match we played on Saturday. And, well, let’s hope he can keep developing and reach the level where we all want to see him.”
Simeone on the need to pick up points in the Champions League
“We know the difficulties of this competition. This format means you have to try to pick up points, whether at home or away, in the first match or the last. And, obviously, we need points, just as every team that wants to stay in this competition does.”
Simeone on the final at the Metropolitano
“Look, I understand your stance on wanting to delve into the Champions League final, which is being played at the Metropolitano, and there’s always the scenario of ‘what if we reach the final…’ Let’s be realistic. The reality is day-to-day, match-by-match. Let’s not fuel speculation that’s obviously all too easy to generate by asking: ‘What if we reach the final?’ We’re taking it one match at a time, and that’s where our strength lies.”
Simeone on what Manchester United he’s expecting
“I think, as I was saying after Saturday’s match, we read the game very well. We played well on Saturday and tomorrow we’ll be facing an opponent who apply great pressure in your half, very good pressure, very aggressive, very intense, with very precise movements to buy time when pressing high. And they’ve got quick players, as Dávid Hancko rightly pointed out; regardless of the results, which have mostly been draws for them so far this season, they’re producing the same kind of performance they did last year. It’s Manchester United, a strong side, but we’ll have to steer the match in a direction where we believe we can cause them problems.”
Simeone on how he’ll manage the squad
“Selecting the best possible line-up, keeping a cool head to manage those starting tomorrow as effectively as possible, because, obviously, the match is going to be a long one, it’s going to be tough, and we need to manage our efforts well to compete effectively.”
Simeone on the pre-season friendly against Manchester United
“Dávid Hancko explained it well when you asked him the same question. I’ll give the same answer as Dávid Hancko. Yes, there are some nuances in terms of positioning, but, well, quite a few of their players weren’t there, just as quite a few of our own players weren’t there either, and, obviously, from that perspective there is a certain insight, but the reality is that Manchester have played seven or eight matches so far, and, well, we’ll focus more on those matches than on the one we played in pre-season.”
Simeone on the key to the good run of results
“I think that balance, both defensively and offensively, has always made us stronger, and when the team works as a unit, important things naturally start to happen.”
