Atlético Madrid coach Diego Simeone responded furiously to a four-minute rant from his Real Madrid counterpart José Mourinho, who facetiously congratulated the refereeing committee after Atleti ran out 2-1 winners in the Madrid derby at the Metropolitano on Sunday afternoon.
“We respect whatever others may say, but we must bear in mind that Flick, Mourinho, Pellegrini and Simeone are in a privileged position, with a great deal of public scrutiny as managers, and we have to be careful about what we say,”
Simeone responded. “We must know how to respect the referee and our colleagues. When you step outside that line of respect, even if your name is Mourinho, Simeone, Flick or Pellegrini, it’s not on; you mustn’t cross that line.”
Diego Simeone on José Mourinho’s complaints
“I’m going to talk to you about the match. It was intense. I think we were in control at all times. Real Madrid are a team with incredible transitions and extraordinary players, and we controlled almost every chance they might have had. I’m proud of the team’s collective effort; defensively, we knew where we could hurt them. We knew it was down the right, and we’re not going to stop raising the team’s performance in the situations you want to discuss.”
Simeone on the possible red cards
“I don’t usually comment because the incident has already happened. The head of the referees has already said it wasn’t a sending-off. Now, if we want to dwell on that, fine, let’s get on with it. But we won the match.”
Simeone on the performance
“The team put in a great performance. We played as a unit and defended very well; I’ll say it again, we defended very well against a side that managed to contain us, and when they didn’t, we took the initiative and played the game they invited us to play. I’m clear about what the team did and the match we played.
“After 15 years of it being difficult to beat Madrid, we’ve done it again at home, in front of our own fans. The derby puts us in a position to keep growing as a team, and that’s exactly what we’re doing.”
Simeone on Julián Alvarez
“We need him; he’s crucial. We’ve got an incredible squad; there aren’t enough words to thank him for everything he’s been through as a player. When you give everything you’ve got, people love you. Julián gave it his all, he struggled, but we’re going to get him back to full fitness. And I’m really happy for Jonathan (David); he gives us the depth to push as far as we can.”
Simeone on whether this is a turning point
“The league season is a very long one, and this is a positive sign for the team because it’s growing. We need to keep working hard and stay fully committed, look at Koke, how he comes on in the second half and takes the game by storm; those are the examples that define Atleti. We’re taking it one match at a time and knowing exactly what we’re aiming for.”
Simeone on the work of the attackers
“I feel proud. We’d discussed teamwork. It wasn’t just the 10 who started; we needed Koke’s talent, a bit more freshness from Julián, and for Lookman to make a better impact than he did… But I have no doubt that the team’s collective effort was a result of the sort of match we wanted to play. Leaving aside the issue of the red cards, I’d say the match was clear-cut: there was one team that controlled the game, one team that knew how to capitalise on the key moments, and another team that didn’t create any clear-cut chances in this match, as they usually do.”
