Quique S. Flores: “We want to qualify against Aris by playing good football”
“The Greek side will be a tough and combative team”
The manager of Atlético de Madrid, Quique Sánchez Flores, held his pre-game press conference before the UEFA Europa League match that Atlético will play against Aris Salonica. The coach from Madrid, with regard to his team, commented that “we have no complaints about the players’ performances. The fact is that we’re not finishing off games, but we’re calm because the feelings are good. We know that we have to improve our defensive statistics. We’ve made mistakes in the last two matches that we have to fix. I hope that he keep those good feelings alive against Aris.”
Concerning their opponent, Quique assured that “Aris knows that this is their last card to earn qualification. They will be combative and confident. We know that it’s going to be a difficult match; we can’t underestimate the opponent. I’m more concerned about my own team than the opponent; we’re paying attention to our game, and we have to play a very complete game to earn the victory.”
Upon being asked about the absence of Álvaro Domínguez in the squad list against Espanyol, the ‘rojiblanco’ head coach stated that “there’s nothing wrong with him. I’ve always said that the second year is tougher for some players. It’s true that the level of the defence has intensified. Our job is to stimulate those players so that they reach their best form. At no time do we want to harm the players; we have to support them so that they grow, double their value on the market and make that link that all squad players have with the supporters grow.”
The media present at the press conference asked the manager about the controversy swirling around the end of the league encounter against Espanyol. In regards to this subject, Quique was clear and explained that “everything was very strange. I just want to focus on the match against Aris and qualify for the next round. I want to get back to playing well and give the fans something to celebrate.
“I hope that the sanction is as small as possible. There was no aggression against the officials. I think that I’ve contributed more good things to football than things that I’ve messed up. I’m not proud about what happened and I hope that it doesn’t happen again. I have to calm myself down and control my excitement,” he wrapped up.
Concerning their opponent, Quique assured that “Aris knows that this is their last card to earn qualification. They will be combative and confident. We know that it’s going to be a difficult match; we can’t underestimate the opponent. I’m more concerned about my own team than the opponent; we’re paying attention to our game, and we have to play a very complete game to earn the victory.”
Upon being asked about the absence of Álvaro Domínguez in the squad list against Espanyol, the ‘rojiblanco’ head coach stated that “there’s nothing wrong with him. I’ve always said that the second year is tougher for some players. It’s true that the level of the defence has intensified. Our job is to stimulate those players so that they reach their best form. At no time do we want to harm the players; we have to support them so that they grow, double their value on the market and make that link that all squad players have with the supporters grow.”
The media present at the press conference asked the manager about the controversy swirling around the end of the league encounter against Espanyol. In regards to this subject, Quique was clear and explained that “everything was very strange. I just want to focus on the match against Aris and qualify for the next round. I want to get back to playing well and give the fans something to celebrate.
“I hope that the sanction is as small as possible. There was no aggression against the officials. I think that I’ve contributed more good things to football than things that I’ve messed up. I’m not proud about what happened and I hope that it doesn’t happen again. I have to calm myself down and control my excitement,” he wrapped up.
