Following his team’s second five-goal win in four days, Atlético Madrid coach Diego Simeone spoke to the media at the Estadio Riyadh Air Metropolitano, having served his touchline ban during the 5-1 win over Eintracht Frankfurt.
Speaking in particular about Antoine Griezmann, who scored his 200th goal for the club, Simeone said “I am grateful to Antoine and his time at Atlético de Madrid, without even mentioning his 200 goals.
“I remember when he arrived as a short winger who played on the left. We
encouraged him to exploit his best qualities: speed, heading, his left foot, his one-on-one talent. He grew to play in that position at the World Cup and become a world champion. He was always a role model in everything, from his effort and work ethic to the joy he brought to the team. Today, our fans’ appreciation is well deserved for what Antoine gives us. Talent has no age.”
Diego Simeone on the result
“We played a very good match, the lads managed it very well from the start. It’s a much-needed victory in the Champions League and an important one at this stage of the competition.”
Diego Simeone on the fans
“It’s historic, from the Metropolitano to the Calderón, our fans are incredible. We say it, we feel it and we need it. Hopefully we can repay that affection with our performance.”
Diego Simeone on 13 goals in a week
“Scoring goals gives you more confidence and earns you points. The team has found a way to score in these matches. I think we are improving in some situations defensively and growing offensively. The team can still aspire to improve, and we need to do so with humility, faith and teamwork.”
Diego Simeone on the big change in a short time
“It’s hard to say if we’ve improved in that regard. We’ve identified circumstances in the game and we’re improving in defence. In attack, we’re evolving. We have players who can compete well.”
Diego Simeone on a strong team performance
“We understood the characteristics of the opponent … (we paired) Griezmann with Julián for a very good combination play in the absence of Álex. I think we were able to give the midfield some pace with Conor and Barrios. I think the improvement in defence allowed us to steer the game in the direction we wanted.”
Diego Simeone on his team improving
“Since the match against Villarreal, the team has been evolving and improving relative to the matches against Alavés and Elche. We have to continue with the same humility and, above all, gradually involve those who we still need and who are returning. In the case of Álex, the coach took a while to bring him on, and the ball didn’t come out as we expected as soon as he came on. We need things from Álex and also from Almada, Cardoso, Sørloth… To be able to compete, we all need to be at our best.”
Diego Simeone on set piece goals two games in a row
“We are constantly searching for this because it is an important part of the game and we are trying to improve. It has worked well in recent games and hopefully we can find situations that suit us, especially (remembering how) in 2014 we scored a lot of goals from set pieces. It is a weapon that all teams are looking for, Barcelona are doing very well in this way.”
