Speaking ahead of Atlético Madrid’s LaLiga clash with Getafe, head coach Diego Simeone discussed his league-leading side’s performance so far this season.
On the Marcos Llorente-Luis Suárez partnership
“They are not a strike partnership, one plays in the thick of the action while the other plays further forward. We are playing well as a team and that allows individual talents to shine. One day it might be Llorente, another it might be Suárez, Correa, João, Saúl, the defence, Oblak…The team is having a great season.”
On Atlético conceding 10 goals in 11 games
“I am seeing different characteristics from previous seasons to the current one. We are scoring more goals than we did last season but we are also conceding more. The numbers show that we have improved in front of goal but we are suffering more in defence. We are trying to find a balance, and if we can, that would be ideal.“
On Atlético ‘parking the bus’
“I do understand that. I am playing too and when the scoreline is tight, you start getting more anxious because you want to win. A coach once told me that if in 90 minutes you cannot score two goals to turn the score around, you’re not going to go in search of a goal in the 93rd minute. It’s better to wind down and finish the game well… Inertia naturally makes you retreat and that’s the case in every game. When there is only one goal in it, inertia pushes you back. If they equalise, it’s because we’ve ‘parked the bus’. If we win, great job by the team.”
