MADRID, March 13 (EUROPA PRESS) –
The Atlético de Madrid coach, Diego Pablo Simeone, was satisfied for having scored “three very good points” against Girona on Monday, where he missed the forcefulness they had against Sevilla, and where he stressed the collective work of a team that it brings out its best version when all its members are “thinking only of one thing”.
“This field is always difficult for us. Girona competes very well and it is true that in the first half they had some transition where they could do us more damage, but from minute 20-25 the team had important situations. The other day we were forceful and today no, and that could have given us a necessary advantage,” Simeone said at a press conference after the game.
The Argentine believes that the changes he made in the second half gave his team “a little more vitality” against a team that matched “better” after the break. “The end of the game came where any detail makes it win or lose and it came from our side. We had worked on that first stick because we could do damage and we finally entered the second well to accompany and close a tough and difficult game that gives us three very good points”, celebrated.
The ‘Cholo’ stressed that the group continues to shine because when that happens “the results and the team look better.” “When this team plays as a team and we’re all thinking about just one thing, things are on the right track,” he said.
In addition, he highlighted the importance of not having fit in. “When you defend well you have a good chance of winning and those who defend well are usually those who are higher up the table than those who defend worse,” warned the mattress coach.
In this sense, and after FC Barcelona won another game 1-0, he confessed that he is “happy” to see that now that “other teams” do it, this type of victories is valued “a lot”. “Winning 1-0 is not easy, it seems simple, but it requires a lot of concentration to defend yourself well. Many of those who have won 1-0 have improved enormously defensively,” he said.
Asked by Rodrigo Riquelme, on loan from Atlético in Girona, Simeone acknowledged that he has “grown enormously” and that “he is doing great” in the Catalan team. “I wish him the best for this end of the season and that he continue working with the same humility and desire to grow that he had in the preseason and the time he was with us. At the end of the year we will see what is best for everyone,” he said about the future of the midfielder.
Finally, he also referred to Arnau Martínez, a Girona player who sounds like he will join the mattress team. “He is a complete, young, courageous footballer, who attacks well and who can play inside and attack from the outside. He is growing a lot at Girona, but we only think about the people we have with us today”, he settled.