Simeone: "The derby is a big match because of the city rivalry" | OneFootball

Simeone analyzed this Sunday’s derby, without Oblak, Mendoza, Barrios or Pubill, against Real Madrid and with Atlético de Madrid looking to close the gap in La Liga.

MUSSO’S MOMENT

“Juan has been working very well since he arrived. He’s been doing a great job not only on the field but also in the locker room. We are very happy with him.”

IMPORTANCE OF A DERBY

“It’s an important match because of the rivalry in the city where both teams live. We know our fans are very excited about these games.”

EMOTIONAL OR SPORTING PRESSURE

“It’s a match that is played emotionally, with a lot of excitement. We try to do our best to take the game to a place where we can hurt the opponent.”

A SCHEDULE FULL OF MATCHES

“It keeps us busy, but it doesn’t worry us. We’ll try to manage it in the best way for the team and the club.”

ARBELOA AT MADRID

“He’s working very well. The results speak for themselves. There’s a connection that you can sense with the players. Beyond the ability we may have, he’s building a strong rapport with his players.”

MADRID’S MOMENT

“You see them much more than we do. We’ve been watching them more these days to prepare for the match. They have the same pattern, the players are the same. But there’s a lot of teamwork, as we saw against City and Benfica.”

WILL THERE BE ROTATIONS IN THE DERBY?

“I don’t know. We’re thinking about where to put ourselves. We’ll keep making these rotations. Everyone is eager to play, they’re making it difficult for me.”

JULIÁN ÁLVAREZ

“He’s a person, and as people we all have better and worse moments. What we’ve seen in these matches, we’ve seen before. That’s why when his level dropped, we demanded this level from him. This isn’t a straight path, there are curves… And you already know what I think when a curve comes…”

OBED VARGAS’ ADAPTATION

“I see a very polite, very hard-working, very humble kid… Wanting to improve. The other day he played a good match and hopefully he keeps growing in training so he can adapt to the differences with MLS.”

WHO LOSES MORE WITHOUT THEIR GOALKEEPER?

“The fans, they are both great goalkeepers.”

This article was translated into English by Artificial Intelligence. You can read the original version in 🇪🇸 here.