Diego Simeone praises Alvaro Arbeloa before Madrid derby – ‘He has that something extra’ | OneFootball

Atletico Madrid manager Diego Simeone has been complementary of his opposite number Alvaro Arbeloa, before traveling to the Bernabeu to face Real Madrid on Sunday night. The derby clash will be the first meeting between the two managers on the bench, and Arbeloa’s first derby as senior manager, while it will be Simeone’s 50th.

Speaking to Diario AS before the derby, Simeone was asked about Arbeloa’s impact on Real Madrid since taking over from Xabi Alonso in January.

“He’s doing a great job; the results speak for themselves. There’s a real connection with the players, and it shows. Beyond the technical ability we coaches have, there’s something extra that’s evident. You can see that there’s a shared understanding of what the coach wants and needs.”

Changes to Real Madrid since first meeting

Beyond the connection with the players, Simeone was asked what differences he was seeing in Arbeloa’s Real Madrid.

“You see it better than we do. They always follow the same pattern because the players are the same. They’re working well as a team, especially in the Champions League against Benfica and City, and that’s the pattern they’ll continue to follow to keep Real Madrid’s aspiration to win everything, as always.”

‘Everyone has their ups and downs’ – Simeone on Julian Alvarez

Positive news for Los Colchoneros against Tottenham Hotspur was that Julian Alvarez looked back to his best in London, scoring a brilliant opening goal.

“He’s a person, and like everyone, we have our ups and downs. We’ve seen what we saw before in the last few matches. That’s why, when his level dropped, we were demanding to see this level again. We know that the road ahead is never straight, and there are always twists and turns. And you know what I think when there are twists and turns.”

Will Atletico Madrid rotate for the derby?

Earlier in the week, it had been suggested that Atletico could rotate some of their starting XI, following their exertions in the Champions League this week.

“I don’t know yet. We’re still trying to decide where to position ourselves, whether to continue with the rotations we’ve used when we’ve had Champions League matches followed by league games. Everyone is incredibly eager to play, and they’re making my decision difficult.”

Real Madrid have far more on the line than Atletico, who are out of the title race, and are all but assured their spot in the Champions League places again. Los Blancos lie four points behind Barcelona going into the weekend. Jan Oblak, Marc Pubill, Pablo Barrios and Rodrigo Mendoza are all set to miss the game for Atletico.