Premier League: Declan Rice, Guardiola’s most expensive setback
Diego Simeone was in a press conference this Wednesday, December 21, 2022 before his Copa match. An opportunity for him to make the assessment of the World Cup and to comment on some of his players who are announced on the departure as Joao Felix.
If he was surprised by the role of Griezmann and if he understands the anger of De Paul because at Atletico he is not as effective: “Griezmann makes me very happy, it speaks for the players of this team. This is the second time since I’ve been here that we have world champions, since we had Antoine, Lucas and Lemar in 2018 and now De Paul, Molina and Correa. This is something important for the club. Part of the situations we want to see.
De Paul started very well last season, then had a slump and then finished well. This season has been inconsistent for everyone and it’s not fair to focus on one player. We need consistency and good play in the team.”
On Gil Marín’s talk of getting rid of a problem that is Joao Félix: “I want Atlético and I want them to win, that’s all I focus on. So what has to happen will happen. Nobody is indispensable and things will have to be what they are.”
On the mercato and departures: “I’m looking inward, I’m looking at the boys on the B-team who excite me. They are young and in a lower bracket, but their coaching staff is working well. Bringing in young guys from the youth team is the best thing that could happen to me.”
How does the team face tomorrow? The Cup is wonderful. It allows everyone to compete well, there are always opportunities, it doesn’t matter the sun, the water, what matters is what you can show on the field and the enthusiasm.”
His diagnosis for his chaotic start: “It did me a lot of good to see the World Cup, I had not seen soccer from the stands without having this responsibility. Without having a lot of weight, I saw things that I liked, I saw that they called us. Watching it from a quieter place opens the panorama. I hope that the panorama can open up. I have the desire, the enthusiasm, the illusion. I do it with joy and devotion. Let’s think about tomorrow’s game. They play in 4-4-2, they work the games well and they have illusion.”
You can count on Joao for the rest: “Joao is very important. He had a good World Cup, he scored goals. I hope we will have the Joao of the World Cup, he can represent the team. I hope we can give him the serenity and joy to show what he showed in the World Cup, which is very good.” How do you think the story has changed in these 11 years? The final of the World Cup represents everything. Argentina dominated, France came back to score, then 3-2, then in the 120th minute Dibu saved and could have changed the story. From France champion, Argentina came out. Soccer is wonderful and so is life… “
