Tiago: “The match against Almería is vital to show that we’ve grown”
The Portuguese believes that Kun and Forlán are essential to the team
Tiago believes that Atlético de Madrid played one of their most complete games of the season last week against Villarreal. The central midfielder didn’t hesitate to admit that “we needed a win like that. We felt good once again, and the entire team worked as a unit. I don’t know if it was out best match, but perhaps one of the best. We regained our joy and good sensations. We have to stay along that line. Now we have a tough game against Almería and we have to win.”
The Portuguese player acknowledged that Champions spots are very far away, and pointed out that “we lost lots of points and finishing in the top four would be very complicated. We have to keep going, match-to-match. We have to try to win them and then when there are three games left we’ll see where we are. Being close to Champions wouldn’t surprise me. We went four contests without winning, and had poor results. That speaks about the level of the Spanish league. There are only two teams that don’t lose many points. The rest of the teams fight and battle as hard as they can to win points.”
The central midfielder found an explanation for the image offered by the team in the last game, highlighting that “we all worked together and thought the same way. You could tell that the whole team was stuck in. We all worked for the team. That’s the only way we can go far. There’s plenty of time to think about the derby, it’s still far off. The clash against Almería is fundamental for us to show that we’re a strong side.
“We all feel that the strikers should score goals. When they don’t put them in it’s normal to feel anxious and pressured by everyone around the team. That’s why it’s very important that Kun and Forlán scored against Villarreal. We need them and they’re very important to the team,' he reflected.
Tiago doesn’t think that Agüero and Reyes will play differently against Almería just because they each have four cautions and could miss the Real Madrid fixture if they receive another one. “I want to beat Almería and I want them both to be completely stuck in. I hope that they don’t receive a card, although I don’t thin that they’re thinking about playing in the game against Real Madrid,” said the player.
The ‘rojiblanco’ footballer hopes that the team doesn’t fall back into the mistakes of the past in the game against Almería and stated that “the idea of playing a near-perfect match on Saturday, and the hopes that it creates, and then falling in Almería, scares me. We have to fight against it. They’re three crucial points to show that we’ve grown. That’s why it’s very important. If we win, we can leave the worst time of the year behind. Before, it seemed almost impossible to win the matches, even when we played well and had lots of scoring chances, but it seemed like the ball didn’t want to go in. On their first chance, our opponents would score a goal and now it seems like everything has changed. Our hard work is paying dividends and we have to keep on like this and work hard so that we’re lucky.”
The Portuguese player acknowledged that Champions spots are very far away, and pointed out that “we lost lots of points and finishing in the top four would be very complicated. We have to keep going, match-to-match. We have to try to win them and then when there are three games left we’ll see where we are. Being close to Champions wouldn’t surprise me. We went four contests without winning, and had poor results. That speaks about the level of the Spanish league. There are only two teams that don’t lose many points. The rest of the teams fight and battle as hard as they can to win points.”
The central midfielder found an explanation for the image offered by the team in the last game, highlighting that “we all worked together and thought the same way. You could tell that the whole team was stuck in. We all worked for the team. That’s the only way we can go far. There’s plenty of time to think about the derby, it’s still far off. The clash against Almería is fundamental for us to show that we’re a strong side.
“We all feel that the strikers should score goals. When they don’t put them in it’s normal to feel anxious and pressured by everyone around the team. That’s why it’s very important that Kun and Forlán scored against Villarreal. We need them and they’re very important to the team,' he reflected.
Tiago doesn’t think that Agüero and Reyes will play differently against Almería just because they each have four cautions and could miss the Real Madrid fixture if they receive another one. “I want to beat Almería and I want them both to be completely stuck in. I hope that they don’t receive a card, although I don’t thin that they’re thinking about playing in the game against Real Madrid,” said the player.
The ‘rojiblanco’ footballer hopes that the team doesn’t fall back into the mistakes of the past in the game against Almería and stated that “the idea of playing a near-perfect match on Saturday, and the hopes that it creates, and then falling in Almería, scares me. We have to fight against it. They’re three crucial points to show that we’ve grown. That’s why it’s very important. If we win, we can leave the worst time of the year behind. Before, it seemed almost impossible to win the matches, even when we played well and had lots of scoring chances, but it seemed like the ball didn’t want to go in. On their first chance, our opponents would score a goal and now it seems like everything has changed. Our hard work is paying dividends and we have to keep on like this and work hard so that we’re lucky.”