Simeone on Sorloth, Julián Álvarez, Griezmann, Cardoso, Baena, Lookman, rotations, and qualification

Atlético de Madrid

STATEMENTS ON MOVISTAR:

Round of 16

“We are not thinking about Liverpool or Tottenham. Enjoying today’s match, getting back to the round of 16 is very important and let's see if we can surpass ourselves and progress. The effort of the guys who have been playing a thousand matches.”

Sorloth

118

Sorloth
9.140.000€+420.000€    9

J1

DL

09

“I felt he was fine, that the other day against Club Brugge he came on giving what the team needed, because he is different from the rest. When you have someone strong who pulls out and stretches the team when we can't find a passing lane. He did very well in Brugge, also against Espanyol, and today he repeated it.”

Suffering at the beginning, scoring a lot at the end

“I don’t think we suffered that much, but the opponent plays well. Last year they reached the round of 16, it’s a team that plays well, Oblak stopped a very important chance, we had the penalty on Giuliano that I don’t know if it is, but if we talk about needing to step up the pace in the second half, not so much with Baena and Koke with their backs turned. The second half started well with Johnny’s goal and then the team was far superior.”

Confidence in Cardoso

47

Johnny Cardoso
3.320.000€+160.000€    5

J1

MD

00

“Sure, he is a player we brought to play, we need him to maintain this regularity that he showed today as he did against Espanyol. The matter of regularity and what I need from the players is very clear. Today he repeated it, recovered many balls and we need that, because it allows you to stabilize and balance the team.

Satisfaction

12

Lookman
20.980.000€+1.670.000€    -

J1

DL

01

134

Julián Álvarez
13.190.000€-160.000€    3

J1

DL

37

118

Sorloth
9.140.000€+420.000€    9

J1

DL

09

“I got emotional because there is a lot of work behind this. There is an effort from the boys, especially the new ones to adapt to this beautiful team and they are joining and taking the warmth to enter the team. I loved how Lookman came in, he should have played because he was scoring goals, but Sorloth played. He will improve over time, his characteristics are offensive and we assumed that Julián understood the game better because he knows us better, but here there are no names. The match lasts 90 minutes and that’s how we saw Griezmann and him come on.”

Griezmann’s continuity

124

Griezmann
10.350.000€    6

J1

DL

06

“I’m not going to speak for him, I care deeply about him, we have talked about many things, I told him what I think. Hopefully he chooses what he thinks is best and what he wants because he deserves whatever he wants.”

Mateu does not confirm he will finish the season

“He is in a place where he deserves to choose what he wants to do.”

Julián remains a starter

134

Julián Álvarez
13.190.000€-160.000€    3

J1

DL

37

“The same happened as with Griezmann last year, I kept putting him on and he couldn’t lift himself. In the place where I am I have to make decisions.”

PRESS CONFERENCE:

You were seen emotional after the match…

I am very happy. There is enormous work behind these results, which are starting to be more positive than negative. Many new players came last season and many more this one. Reinventing ourselves is never easy and when you see the willingness, the conviction of the substitutes when they come on, that moves me. I am a football man and when I see that commitment to the idea, to what we look for, I feel very identified. I appreciate the team’s work. In the first half we faced an opponent that plays very well, I did not lie. They pressed us, took time away from us. In the second half we played a much superior game in every way.

What did you talk about at halftime?

The feeling that was perceived. They attacked to win and we, I don’t know for what, to keep them company. That’s what we talked about: we had to raise the intensity in the pressing, be more forceful in offensive positioning. From Johnny’s goal, which opened the way for us, and with the changes… It wasn’t easy to leave Lookman and Griezmann out. Julián had played well lately. You have to make decisions and it moves me to see that those who come on do it like that, to accompany the thought. It was hard, it’s not easy to decide.

At 3-1 you threw yourself to the ground with your hands on your head…

There is a lot of work. They are a lot of matches. We couldn’t avoid this because we didn’t win against Galatasaray to then have to repeat it at home. In the league we are far from the top, in the cup we competed well. This was a challenge. And if we win or lose, you asked me before? It was an important game. The team responded and we continue in the race.

Cerezo said it was “mandatory and a necessity” to win. How important is it?

For the club it is, for Atlético’s economic and global growth. But we want more, of course we want more. Hopefully we have the strength, energy and talent to go further.

How did you motivate Sorloth? And Julián?

93

Álex Baena
6.730.000€+60.000€    5

J1

MD

22

It also happened with Griezmann last season. I put him on, put him on, and he couldn’t respond. These are decisions, I take them and I believe in this type of footballers. Both Griezmann and Julián today… Alex has something that no one else has and when he is well, when he is present, participative, as he was in the first leg for those 20 minutes, he was again at the level we need. He is very important to us.

How do you evaluate the physical exertion?

Nothing, because there’s nothing you can do. Be prepared to perform, try to rotate, better said, manage. Sometimes it will go wrong, other times it will go right. I have to manage and we will try to get the best for the club.

How did you see Johnny?

47

Johnny Cardoso
3.320.000€+160.000€    5

J1

MD

00

I was very happy. He is a footballer we brought to play, to demonstrate everything we saw from him at Betis. It has been hard for him. I repeat, many footballers have arrived and it’s not easy to play at Atlético Madrid. When you take in that warmth, when you start to feel it, you find the path and Johnny is on the path we want.

Does this momentum help going to Barcelona?

We need to win in the league, continue the pace we recovered the other day against Espanyol. There are many days left for the cup and the focus is on Oviedo.

What did you think of Club Brugge? What advice do you give?

I have no advice, I don’t put myself in someone else’s place. I like the team, young, very good midfielders; Onyedika was missing. They have very fast people up front, strong and brave forwards in the game, a coach who bets on joyful football. We had the capacity to understand the match we had to play and, above all, play a very good second half.