A delighted Diego Simeone spoke to the media after Atlético Madrid notched a 3-2 win in Eindhoven over PSV on Tuesday night.
Reflecting on the win, Simeone insisted that he “loved the team” as he explained that “we had faith in what we planned and made them feel uncomfortable throughout the match.” He highlighted that “Julián made the difference and had his moments, he had another brilliant performance, let him continue working in the same vein,” while “Sørloth did him a favour to set up the first goal.”
“It’s been a long time since I’ve felt so fulfilled, enjoying what I saw, I liked it,” Simeone continued. “PSV could have made it 2-0 but the team didn’t back down, every time the goalkeeper had the ball, we had a plan… I loved the team.”
Diego Simeone on a rollercoaster ride
“I don’t think any team can dominate a match for 90 minutes. There are always moments in a match when the opposition can be superior. They scored on the counterattack, but we didn’t let up on the pressure up front, so that the goalkeeper had the ball. We made it an uncomfortable, annoying match for them… I loved the team’s performance.”
Diego Simeone on the character of his team
“I liked everything. Everything. The match has different moments, but at no point did the team deviate from the plan. We went out to press high, to play in the opposition’s half, as we saw, and for that you need to run and for everyone on the pitch to give their all. At no point did the team deviate from the plan. PSV had beaten Liverpool, Napoli…”
Diego Simeone on Julián Álvarez
“I congratulated him, the goal is a result of everything. For him, it undoubtedly reinforces even more what Julián means to us, he’s a decisive player.”
Diego Simeone on Marc Pubill
“He’s growng, he’s young, I love his determination to help. I imagined that at some point he could help us in that centre-back position. He’s growing at an enormous rate, he’s good with his feet. He’s hungry, and I like those who are hungry.”
Diego Simeone on Alexander Sørloth
“It was undoubtedly Sorloth’s most complete game. Everything. He could have done even more. He worked hard, held on, pulled the team back… He pressed the defenders, ran as he should. Great game. I loved it.”
Diego Simeone on the importance of the win
“We knew we would have to work hard, we found ourselves 1-0 down when we had clear chances from Sørloth and Molina. We were playing the game the way we wanted to, but even so they got the second. The team started to grow, we man-marked them to equalise, we stopped them from playing the game they wanted to play and we took it to how we wanted to play. And that’s how it was for most of the game.”
Diego Simeone on his half-time team-talk
“We were lacking some individual moves that benefit the team. At half-time, I told the lads that they were playing a great game, that they had to keep going, win the game by pressing and by not letting them think, putting pressure on the goalkeeper when people were getting nervous. Then they scored, we could have scored a fourth or they could have equalised, and it was a good game.”
Diego Simeone on Alexander Sørloth (again)
“One of the best matches I’ve seen him play for us in terms of continuity in the game, getting us out from the back, creating chances for us, pressing, getting the team going, forming a very dangerous partnership with Julián in the final third. I congratulate the team on an extraordinary match.”
Diego Simeone on Julián’s return to form
“He came back, as many were asking him to, to be the difference-maker who worked hard, ran, and made incredible individual plays, like the pass to Barrios for the third goal. Barrios himself, Pubill, Hancko, Ruggeri in the second half, Molina improving as the game went on… We played against a great team that had beaten Liverpool and Napoli and plays very well.”
Diego Simeone on a sense of relief
“No, I’m happy for the team because they’ve been working well. There are two ways: one is doing things right, which doesn’t guarantee you’ll win, and the other is doing things wrong, which makes you a lot more likely to lose.”