Simeone: "It’s always nice to play a team like Estudiantes"
On Saturday, Atletico start their participation in the Euro-American Cup against Estudiantes de La Plata. Simeone and Demichelis we present on behalf of the Spanish delegation and Pellegrino and Jerome Rulli for the Argentine squad were at the presentation ceremony.
Just hours after landing in Argentina, the first of the three countries Atlético will visit on tour in South America, Diego Pablo Simeone and Martin Demichelis attended the press conference of the presentation of the game on Saturday between Atletico and Estudiantes de La Plata. Simeone spoke of the special game against the side with which he won the Apertura in 2006 while coaching the club. "Our spell at Estudiantes was very nice. It was the team where I felt good as coach. Perhaps the place where I was able to implement my ideas", claimed the Atletico coach when talking about the opponent in the first game of the Euroamericana Cup.
After defeating Numancia in the `Memorial Jesús Gil y Gil ', the second test of the preseason will be a tough match against Estudiantes, who have Juan Sebastián Verón in their ranks. "To see Sebastian on the field, if he believes he is the best and feels able to continue to compete as he always wanted makes me I'm happy. A talent like him is always a pleasure to come up against and Estudiantes have so many young guys who are building an important future”, he said.
The technician explained to the media how he saw his team facing a exciting season with the European Super Cup and the UEFA Champions League on the horizon. "We know what we have, we know we can play, we know our faults and how to leverage our strengths. And based on that we will work our best whilst always holding on to the reality of who we are" he said.
Simeone was asked about his memories of winning the Apertura with Estudiantes in 2006 after beating Boca Juniors. "You give what you’ve got and then the situations come about and then its how you interpret them. I can assure you that I meet a lot of good people from Estudiantes and have a great memory of that team, and the final that we won".
After the pre-season, Atletico will face Barcelona in the Spanish Super Cup, who have just hired coach Gerardo Martino. "The arrival of Tata Martino made me happy. Whenever a countryman of ours has the ability to go abroad to such an important club like Barcelona or any other major club it always makes me happy. I wish him the best of luck and that everything turns out for him well" the coach said.
Another Argentine in the team Martin Demichelis was also at the presentation of the game and said it will be a nice match for the collective and the individual to be played in his country. "Whenever I’ve come to play in Argentina it has been with the national team therefore it’s a new experience to come here with a European team. It will be a nice and different experience, but I am also aware of what it means to me and for the group to continue to grow in terms of level of preparation in the middle of the preseason", said the Atletico number 24.
The Euroamericana Cup is organised in collaboration with DirecTV is having a high degree of coverage, with the arrival of the Madrid club causing excitement in South America. "You see the amount of people that are here, it’ll be an opportunity to defend the reputation, the history, the image of Atletico Madrid. Personally I want to continue developing, adapting myself to the squad and follow the group and continue learning".
The centre back also took time to discuss his recent addition to the Madrid based club and what he felt after signing. "For any player it is of great pride to arrive in such an important year for the club, this was an incentive to join a complete squad that is strong and looking to continue winning in a very important year ahead", he said in conclusion.
For Estudiantes their coach Mauricio Pellegrino and goalkeeper Jerome Rulli appeared in the presentation. On the match, the former Valencia coach said "for us the truth is that it is a very nice game because we don’t have the privilege of playing against these teams regularly. Thanks to Atletico Madrid for participating in this tournament. I love to play against top level teams and Atletico is one of them. They’re shaping the preseason to start in the best way and hopefully you can see a good game for fan of Estudiantes and the people of La Plata. For us it will help from a footballing point of view and hopefully it’ll be a great show". He said of the game that kicks off at 20.00 Spanish time this Saturday.
