The Atlético players are already focusing on Saturday’s fixture against Villarreal
Elías: “Coming on and scoring is very important to helping the team”
After the draw in Getafe, the ‘rojiblanco’ players highlighted that the point earned tasted somewhat bitter because, given the current circumstances, Atlético de Madrid need to earn by the threes if they want to reach European spots. They all agreed that they have to win against Villarreal on Saturday if they want to make the draws against Sevilla and Getafe worth anything.
Elías debuted on the scoresheet in La Liga with an Amazing header after a measured cross from Forlán. The Brazilian was happy about getting minutes, scoring and contributing to get a decent result from Coliseum Alfonso Pérez. “Coming on and scoring is very important to helping the team. I want to work hard to make myself a spot and adapt. People are talking a lot about my quality, doubting me, and I want to show why they signed me. I have to adapt because Brazilian football is different from Spanish football. The group is fine; I was surprised by how well they get along. It’s the first goal I’ve ever scored with my head in my career. It will bring us calm and allow us to work better as we look to the future.”
Mario Suárez acknowledged that the team was affected by the early goal. “That quick goal that they scored on us made the match complicated. That’s what they wanted, to play on the counter-attack, and they accomplished it. Looking at how the match was going, the draw is a good result and now we have to make that point stand up at home against Villarreal. It’s going to be tough, but we’re going to go for the three points. We’ve felt better in the last few games, but in this match they scored a strange goal on us early. In the end we were able to level and we have to look at the point positively. We want the three points in all stadiums. We have to keep fighting, as we have a crucial match on Saturday; we have to win, as we haven’t done so at home in a long time.”
Antonio López, one of the captains of the ‘rojiblanco’ side, left it very clear that “anything that is earning points is good, and we haven’t lost in several games. There’s no doubt that Atlético de Madrid wants to earn the three points wherever we go, but today we were unable to do that. They scored early and then we had chances, although the draw is fair. If we beat Villarreal, the draw will be good, because we’d have earned two wins and two draws out of four, and that would be good. We have to focus and be aware that we have to win the points at home, and surely we’ll get what we want. Villarreal is a great squad with great players. That’s why they’re always amongst the top four. It’s going to be complicated, but we hope to come away with the victory in front of our fans. When the team plays well, the fans carry you on their backs. We need them and we have to give our full effort into earning the win and giving our supporters something to cheer about.”
On the other hand, Sergio Kun Agüero, in statements made to television station Canal Plus after the match, emphasized that “fortunately we rescued something, a draw. It’s always important to earn points, and even more so against a good team such as Getafe. We had a hard time creating chances, it’s true. But we showed a good attitude in trying to go for the match. We tried to search for the goal, which is what the gaffer asked us to do during the game. But it was tough.”
Asked about how the squad is doing inside the dressing room, Kun responded that “there’s no discomfort within the clubhouse. We’re a fantastic group. We don’t pay attention to what others say. We’re united, pulling in the same direction.”
Elías debuted on the scoresheet in La Liga with an Amazing header after a measured cross from Forlán. The Brazilian was happy about getting minutes, scoring and contributing to get a decent result from Coliseum Alfonso Pérez. “Coming on and scoring is very important to helping the team. I want to work hard to make myself a spot and adapt. People are talking a lot about my quality, doubting me, and I want to show why they signed me. I have to adapt because Brazilian football is different from Spanish football. The group is fine; I was surprised by how well they get along. It’s the first goal I’ve ever scored with my head in my career. It will bring us calm and allow us to work better as we look to the future.”
Mario Suárez acknowledged that the team was affected by the early goal. “That quick goal that they scored on us made the match complicated. That’s what they wanted, to play on the counter-attack, and they accomplished it. Looking at how the match was going, the draw is a good result and now we have to make that point stand up at home against Villarreal. It’s going to be tough, but we’re going to go for the three points. We’ve felt better in the last few games, but in this match they scored a strange goal on us early. In the end we were able to level and we have to look at the point positively. We want the three points in all stadiums. We have to keep fighting, as we have a crucial match on Saturday; we have to win, as we haven’t done so at home in a long time.”
Antonio López, one of the captains of the ‘rojiblanco’ side, left it very clear that “anything that is earning points is good, and we haven’t lost in several games. There’s no doubt that Atlético de Madrid wants to earn the three points wherever we go, but today we were unable to do that. They scored early and then we had chances, although the draw is fair. If we beat Villarreal, the draw will be good, because we’d have earned two wins and two draws out of four, and that would be good. We have to focus and be aware that we have to win the points at home, and surely we’ll get what we want. Villarreal is a great squad with great players. That’s why they’re always amongst the top four. It’s going to be complicated, but we hope to come away with the victory in front of our fans. When the team plays well, the fans carry you on their backs. We need them and we have to give our full effort into earning the win and giving our supporters something to cheer about.”
On the other hand, Sergio Kun Agüero, in statements made to television station Canal Plus after the match, emphasized that “fortunately we rescued something, a draw. It’s always important to earn points, and even more so against a good team such as Getafe. We had a hard time creating chances, it’s true. But we showed a good attitude in trying to go for the match. We tried to search for the goal, which is what the gaffer asked us to do during the game. But it was tough.”
Asked about how the squad is doing inside the dressing room, Kun responded that “there’s no discomfort within the clubhouse. We’re a fantastic group. We don’t pay attention to what others say. We’re united, pulling in the same direction.”
