Atletico Madrid News
Simeone talks Correa, Griezmann, Man City ahead of Atletico Madrid vs Espanyol
After being knocked out of the UEFA Champions League by Manchester City, Atletico Madrid take on Espanyol in La Liga on Sunday.
The clash at Wanda Metropolitano gives Los Rojiblancos a chance to get level on points with Barcelona, although the Blaugranes will have two games in hand.
Diego Simeone spoke to the press ahead of the league clash and spoke about a plethora of topics ranging from players to the midweek result. Here are the snippets from the Argentine manager’s press conference.
He first addressed the topic of team pride and said that the club’s pride did not depend on any single result or game of football.
“Pride is something that we’ve always had. We don’t need a single night to enhance it further. It’s always there, we know where we come from, which is from the work that has been done over the years.”
Simeone then went on the discuss the situation of Angel Correa at the club and his recent drought of minutes.
“Correa had the episode of his blow to the instep. From then on, Griezmann joined the team and has been doing well. He was accompanied by a lot of pain and without being able to play, he made a great effort to come back.”
“Angel [Correa] came back against Rayo [Vallecano] and he got sent off, but he left due to an injury and another teammate came in and did well. Tomorrow. he will play and he will have a good opportunity,” he added.
Simeone then spoke about the fans, and how the team had to repay their loyalty with performances.
“Our people, as always, were at the level that they have been since I was a player. What we have to give back to the people is hard work and respect for the club by competing well.”
The manager then proceeded to praise his players for the fight they displayed midweek in the defeat to Manchester City.
“The most important challenge we have is to show what the players showed in the last game. We showed that we can compete and the challenge is for everyone to be involved, those who play and those who don’t play.”
Simeone made it a point to back his players, and said that even though the team could not reach the goal, they made a great effort.
“A great effort was made. As you saw, the team knows that they played a good game, that they didn’t reach the goal, but we stay calm knowing that we gave everything. When you give everything, you can work calmly.”
When asked about his feelings on the team and their performance, the Argentine manager said,
“I feel very good. When one shows his best version, football becomes a consequence of the game. We were not clinical, but we are calm knowing that we gave everything. We have games ahead of us, we will go game by game.”
Finally, Simeone was asked to give his two cents on the title race which is heavily skewed towards Real Madrid at the moment. He replied,
“I don’t want to go into a phrase to look for titles. We are not at a time to look for titles, whether this is liked or not. The only thing that counts is tomorrow’s game with Espanyol and hard work.”
Atletico Madrid News
Atletico Madrid, Chelsea contact PSG midfielder’s agent with player set to leave
Atletico Madrid and Chelsea are among the clubs that have made contact with the agent of PSG midfielder Leandro Paredes, who is set to leave this summer.
This claim comes from journalist Martin Arevalo on ESPN, who states that apart from Atletico and Chelsea, an unnamed third club have also established contact with the Argentine international’s representative.
Paredes has been on PSG’s books since January 2019, when he arrived from Zenit St. Petersburg. For a large part of his time at the French capital outfit, the midfielder had been a regular starter in the side.
However, last summer saw Paredes get shipped out on loan to Juventus. He has played 33 times for the Bianconeri this season with a return of one goal and assist apiece.
The Serie A heavyweights, who were recently hit with a 10-point deduction, have the option to purchase him permanently. But, as per the report, his relationship with manager Massimiliano Allegri is not good and a return to PSG is on the cards.
And considering that he is not in the plans back at Parc des Princes either, a permanent departure away seems set in stone for Paredes.
As such, Atletico Madrid, Chelsea, and an unnamed club have shown interest in acquiring his services by making contact with the 28-year-old World Cup winner’s agent.
With Koke entering the final phase of his career and Geoffrey Kondogbia expected to leave at the end of the season, the Rojiblancos could do with reinforcements in the centre of the park.
Paredes, who has plenty of experience at the highest level and is known for his aggressive mentality, can be a good fit into Diego Simeone’s setup at the Civitas Metropolitano.
But, with Chelsea also in the picture, things could get tricky for the Colchoneros. After all, Atleti are operating on tight finances and are looking for bargain and free transfer signings in the market with the likes of Marcus Thuram, Jordi Alba, and Raphael Guerreiro emerging as targets.
