Simeone: “We need the stands filled with enthusiasm and illusion”
Diego Pablo Simeone attended the media before the “hard and complicated” match with Granada. The Argentinian coach emphasized that the team “needs” a “full” Vicente Calderón for the rest of the remaining matches.
A full stadium, bursting with Atletico feeling. This is what Simeone asks for to achieve the victory against a Granada which will make things very complicated. “Tomorrow, the match against Granada will be hard and complicated because of the rival’s necessities, since the three points on play are as important to them as for us. We hope to have a full stadium. What worries me now is that people understand before it’s too late, that beyond the cost of being in the Champions League, we need them. I invite everyone who comes to the stadium to share with the team this beautiful moment. The match will ask a great effort from us and from the people who come”, he assured.
For the coach from Buenos Aires, being leaders of the League at this stage is the result of a great job from everyone at the club. “I’m living it as the moment’s reality, and it is the product of the great work that the players and the club are doing to make the players and the people follow their team. The only thing that I care about is that tomorrow’s match be a good one”, he said.
About the differences between playing with Raúl García or with Villa, Diego Pablo explained that “with Raúl, because of his nature, we have a midfielder who plays more centred and arriving better to the box. David Villa is closer to the forward figure we all know, with better results in short distances, and it obviously makes us work differently”.
We only aspire to be competitive in each match
The final stretch will be the hardest of the season, and the team needs all of the players to end the campaign well. “We only aspire to be competitive in each match. At this end of season, all the players are essential. We have to look for the best alternatives to play each match, which are three days apart. I have faith in all the guys that have trained and are waiting for their opportunity. When I deem it necessary to make them play, I won’t hesitate. We need them and they have been long expecting it”, he pointed out.
“There is still a long way to go. Real Madrid and Barcelona are very liable to win, 27 are a lot of points. To always win is hard, and to compete against them you always have to win. We think we have a fighting chance, on match to match”, he assured. An end of season where the work of Óscar Ortega, fitness coach, will be key. “He’s been working very well since he came to the club. He keeps the players very fit, and it is important to both him and us that we reach this final stretch in the best possible shape. We have a very difficult week ahead, but we have to play”, he said.
The “intensity” in the game will be key to defeat Granada. “They work with a 4-3-3, they play well a stopped ball and have a good attack on the side-line. We need to play intensely and direct the game to where it suits us”. Before ending his appearance, Simeone reminded people that they have to be the 12th player. “We have 4 home games and we need the field to burst with flags, enthusiasm and illusion. Tomorrow, grab your bags, get on the bus and come to the field”, he concluded.
