Simeone: "I am proud of these players"
The leader of the red and whites was praising his team and ensure that the target is close but not closed. There’s still more work.
For the fourth time so far this season, Atletico and Sevilla met in a vital clash for the aspirations of both side. Atletico and again left victorious, for the second time this season to add to the two draws. Diego Pablo Simeone assessed the win as follows. "Again we faced a great rival who proposed a new system. We worked in trying to control the ball more. Somewhere down in the first half time we could have taken better advantage of the chances we had. During the second half we locked the game, there was a lot of tension, excitement and luckily the goal came and guided us to victory. We had to be strong because a victory in this field is not won easily. You’re made to suffer, to work ... there are now less games to play and the target is close, but we must keep working."
Unai Emery changed their approach of hia team and decided on starting with a 5-3-2 but that did not surprise Atletico "We knew they could play with three at the back and try to control the ball in the middle, looking to close the space back and get the ball to their most important players such as Rakitic, Navas, Negredo and Reyes and I think they succeeded. The controlled the space. We did not have the ball but it is also true that the first half we had chance on the break, which is what we wanted and the team looked and worked the same way," said Simeone.
The league table shows that Atletico need three points to seal their place in the Champions League in a mathematical way and Simeone said that the job is not yet complet. "We're close. It’s a job that the team has been doing every Sunday since they started the season with a huge effort. We’ve been without Arda who is an important player and the team has still done well. Tiago has also been out and the team does well. I repeat because I'm proud of those guys. Hopefully the Atletico fans are happy with the work of their team," he told the media.
Hopefully the Atletico fans are happy with their team
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Diego Costa was booked and will miss the next match but Simeone is considered a secondary aspect. "He was a player with four yellow and it could have happen" before continuing to insist on the important victory of his team and the actions of the players. "The important thing is that today the team won and that's what we got to do to Madrid. Think about the big performance that the team put in. I do not think we should focus on small aspects of the game. For us that's not important. We appreciate that we won in a Seville where they arevery strong. We had chances and we took the win," he said.
Before concluding, the Argentine coach wanted to clarify that what happens on the field stays out there, "There is a high intensity, intention and football. When the game ends most players congratulate us, it is normal in football" he assessed before joining the group on the way to the AVE train that will take Atletico Madrid back home to the capital.
