De Gea: 'For the fans, the match against Madrid is more than just three points”
The player attends the presentation of the Nike Pro Combat
Atlético de Madrid will play a crucial Europa League match on Thursday against Rosenborg. The ‘rojiblanco’ squad doesn’t only have to face a tough opponent, but also will have to battle the cold. The low temperatures in the Nordic country could be a handicap for Quique Sánchez Flores’ lads. For this reason, Nike, one of Atlético de Madrid’s sponsors, has manufactured the Nike Pro Combat undershirt. It is a product designed to offer athletes the best protection against the cold, while at the same time providing tight compression, offering the players a psychological boost.
The line makes use of Nike Dri-FIT technology to wick away sweat through its fabric, through which it evaporates, ensuring players that they’ll stay dry and comfortable. The presentation of the shirt, which was held at the official Nike shop in Madrid, included the presence of Jordi García, the Atlético de Madrid physical trainer, and David De Gea, the team’s starting goalkeeper.
Jordi García praised the properties of the garment and said that “it has great benefits, as it helps to keep one’s body temperature steady and that’s very important for goalkeepers. That way they can react quickly to any play without risking injury.” The ‘rojiblanco’ trainer continued to analyse the shirt, explaining that “it also allows the players’ muscle temperature to be increased and permits them to carry out explosive actions without risks. Furthermore, it’s good to maintain one’s body temperature between one half and the next.”
After the comments from Jordi García, David De Gea took the microphone and analysed the current state of the team. “We have a tough week ahead. On Thursday we have a very important match against Rosenborg. A victory would boost the team’s confidence, as we didn’t start out well in the Europa League. We’ll have time to think about Real Madrid after that game.”
Regarding the fixture against their neighbour in Spain’s capital, the ‘rojiblanco’ squad will be without Perea and Godín. The netminder pointed out that “they’re two important players in the squad’s line-up, but we have other players in the team who will play very well.”
The keeper has faced Real Madrid many times in junior categories and knows what a victory would mean against their city rivals. “It’s another game, which is worth three points, although it’s more than just that to our supporters. It’s true that a victory would be very important for the team and for the fans, but first we have to beat Rosenborg to be calmer in the Europa League. I don’t think that La Liga is just between Real Madrid and Barcelona; they’re ahead of the rest, but other teams are right on their heels.”
The team has been on the short end of poor officiating in recent weeks. David De Gea believes that “it’s true that we haven’t been lucky the last few weeks, but over the course of a season at times they call in your favour and at others against you. We can’t pay attention to that; we have to focus on ourselves.”
Quique Sánchez Flores and his staff arrived at the organization one year ago. Since then David has been under the orders of Emilio Álvarez, the goalkeeping coach. The goalie assured that “the arrival of the gaffer was a good move by the Club. Emilio is helping Joel, Asenjo and me to continue to improve and grow day after day.”
“We’re going into the derby in good form. We really want to earn the three points, although we know that it’s just another match on the calendar, but for the fans these types of games mean a lot more. I’d settle for a win; I could care less about the result. The important thing is the three points. We want to play a great match and make sure that our supporters go home happy,” he asserted.
To finish, David spoke about his teammates Forlán and Reyes “Forlán trains as hard as he can. Having him in the dressing room is amazing. He’s an elite player. He slightly twisted his ankle in the last training session, but I think that he’ll be ready to play in Norway. Reyes is also playing at a high level, just like last year. He’s matured this season and he’s been playing really well,” De Gea wrapped up.
The line makes use of Nike Dri-FIT technology to wick away sweat through its fabric, through which it evaporates, ensuring players that they’ll stay dry and comfortable. The presentation of the shirt, which was held at the official Nike shop in Madrid, included the presence of Jordi García, the Atlético de Madrid physical trainer, and David De Gea, the team’s starting goalkeeper.
Jordi García praised the properties of the garment and said that “it has great benefits, as it helps to keep one’s body temperature steady and that’s very important for goalkeepers. That way they can react quickly to any play without risking injury.” The ‘rojiblanco’ trainer continued to analyse the shirt, explaining that “it also allows the players’ muscle temperature to be increased and permits them to carry out explosive actions without risks. Furthermore, it’s good to maintain one’s body temperature between one half and the next.”
After the comments from Jordi García, David De Gea took the microphone and analysed the current state of the team. “We have a tough week ahead. On Thursday we have a very important match against Rosenborg. A victory would boost the team’s confidence, as we didn’t start out well in the Europa League. We’ll have time to think about Real Madrid after that game.”
Regarding the fixture against their neighbour in Spain’s capital, the ‘rojiblanco’ squad will be without Perea and Godín. The netminder pointed out that “they’re two important players in the squad’s line-up, but we have other players in the team who will play very well.”
The keeper has faced Real Madrid many times in junior categories and knows what a victory would mean against their city rivals. “It’s another game, which is worth three points, although it’s more than just that to our supporters. It’s true that a victory would be very important for the team and for the fans, but first we have to beat Rosenborg to be calmer in the Europa League. I don’t think that La Liga is just between Real Madrid and Barcelona; they’re ahead of the rest, but other teams are right on their heels.”
The team has been on the short end of poor officiating in recent weeks. David De Gea believes that “it’s true that we haven’t been lucky the last few weeks, but over the course of a season at times they call in your favour and at others against you. We can’t pay attention to that; we have to focus on ourselves.”
Quique Sánchez Flores and his staff arrived at the organization one year ago. Since then David has been under the orders of Emilio Álvarez, the goalkeeping coach. The goalie assured that “the arrival of the gaffer was a good move by the Club. Emilio is helping Joel, Asenjo and me to continue to improve and grow day after day.”
“We’re going into the derby in good form. We really want to earn the three points, although we know that it’s just another match on the calendar, but for the fans these types of games mean a lot more. I’d settle for a win; I could care less about the result. The important thing is the three points. We want to play a great match and make sure that our supporters go home happy,” he asserted.
To finish, David spoke about his teammates Forlán and Reyes “Forlán trains as hard as he can. Having him in the dressing room is amazing. He’s an elite player. He slightly twisted his ankle in the last training session, but I think that he’ll be ready to play in Norway. Reyes is also playing at a high level, just like last year. He’s matured this season and he’s been playing really well,” De Gea wrapped up.
