Atlético Madrid coach Diego Simeone previewed the game against Deportivo La Coruña on Saturday and spoke about José María Giménez’s return to the Metropolitano as an opponent.
“First and foremost, I can’t separate him from the opponent we’ll be facing tomorrow,” an emotional Simeone explained. “The person and the man who helped me, stood by me and supported me in the dressing room thanks to his enormous commitment to us… To be honest, I’m incredibly grateful to José.”
The coach continued, saying, “I have no doubt that he was and is one of the most important centre-backs to have played for Atlético Madrid since I’ve been here. I always wish him the very best and, well, we love him dearly, he knows that.”
Diego Simeone on Pablo Barrios
“What matters to me is that, for the minutes he’s on the pitch, he performs well, just as he’s been doing. He’s a very important player for us. We’re working together to help him reach his best form and, well, hopefully he can keep improving game after game.”
Simeone on the roles of Rodrigo Mendoza and Obed Vargas with so many injuries
“They know we need everyone. This season is very long; it’s normal for situations to arise where some lads might not be able to play at certain points in the season, and, well, that’s why we try to have a good squad and hope that, by the end of the season, it will be a very good one because of what we’ve achieved.”
Simeone on competing with Barcelona
“Yes, of course. Competing with… You can always compete; that’s absolutely clear. We’ve seen it, and that doesn’t change the fact that they have a great team.”
Simeone on fighting for the La Liga title
“I’m sorry, but La Coruña.”
Simeone on the importance of the Deportivo match ahead of upcoming fixtures
“But first there’s Levante, then Bayern Munich. No, there’s still plenty to come. We have to focus on tomorrow’s match, try to take the game to where we can cause them problems. La Coruña have been competing very well in every match they’ve played. They’ve won, they’ve drawn, they’ve lost, but they’ve always put up a strong fight. So tomorrow we’ll be up against a brave side, one we faced in the Copa del Rey last season and which we also struggled to beat, if you recall. So all our energy is focused on getting it right tomorrow.”
Simeone on Marc Pubill
“(I want him) to replicate the second half from the other day in Stuttgart. I think the second half the other day was up to the standard we’ve come to expect from him. He’s a young footballer, with a promising present and an even brighter future. It will depend entirely on what he decides and what he wants. He has all the tools to keep developing: hunger, humility, hard work. And, well, it will depend on whether he wants to keep developing.”
Simeone on injuries affecting the squad
“Well, in principle, let’s hope that when we do have injuries, they’re of the sort we’ve had so far, which are actually short-term. Because that allows them to recover quickly and be back with us soon.”
Simeone on playing with two strikers
“Yes, it’ll probably happen again. With Alexander too, who’s waiting for his chance – we need him. Because, as I always say, he’s a player with different qualities to all our other strikers. He works well with either Jonathan or Julián, who are more traditional strikers, to share the attacking burden, depending on the match we’re playing and the approach we’re adopting over the 90 minutes. But the truth is that Jonathan has been doing a very good job since he arrived. Julián is improving, Alexander is keen to get involved and, well, we’ll choose the best possible option for the good of the team.”