Atletico Madrid News
Simeone talks Cunha, Grbic, Oblak, Witsel after Atletico Madrid 4-1 Celta Vigo
Atletico Madrid bounced back to winning ways in La Liga as they thrashed Celta Vigo 4-1 at the Civitas Metropolitano on Saturday night.
Diego Simeone fielded a much-changed side keeping in mind the upcoming Champions League clash against Bayer Leverkusen. But the hosts started well, as Angel Correa opened the scoring just nine minutes into the contest.
Midfielder Rodrigo De Paul doubled the Colchoneros’ lead five minutes into the second period before Yannick Carrasco made it 3-0 in the 66th minute.
Celta Vigo did manage to pull one back through Gabri Veiga in the 71st minute, but Unai Nunez scored an own goal ten minutes later to help Atleti reestablish their three-goal lead and romp home to a statement win.
The victory sees Los Rojiblancos move to fourth place in the La Liga standings and manager Simeone talked about the performance and the victory of the game, saying:
“We try to make sure the people are well. Today I felt the fans very close, as always in the history of this club. The goals were beautifully made. We need to be a team. Whoever understands it will have more minutes and the one who doesn’t, no”.
The Argentine tactician was also full of praise for Brazilian forward Matheus Cunha as he said: “Cunha, due to his characteristics, is the ideal player for Atlético. We need him because he transmits power, personality.”
On his decision to rest Jan Oblak and hand Ivo Grbic an opportunity in between the sticks against Celta, Simeone said:
“We understood that he was not in his best shape. Great opportunity, very well taken advantage of by Grbic, who is well integrated into the group and works with great enthusiasm. When you work, you get paid.”
Cholo also hailed veteran midfielder Axel Witsel for his performance in the backline, saying: “He has a great virtue: a vision of the game like few others. He has been a midfielder with great vision.
“When Giménez and Savic were not there, we understood that his characteristics could help us. He not only did well in that position. He gives us something different from the characteristics we have and we must continue to take advantage of it. And he has to go further because he can give us a lot because of his quality.”
Source: AS
There is no doubt that Atletico Madrid are bracing themselves for a busy summer ahead as they look to address the future of some of their star players. One of them is Saul Niguez, who has fallen out of favour under Diego Simeone and could leave the club.
A recent report from Mundo Deportivo has offered an update on the future of the Spaniard, suggesting that the player has once again become a market attraction.
The versatile star was on loan at Chelsea last season, but his spell at Stamford Bridge was far from ideal, as he featured in less than 500 minutes of league football. He returned to Atletico Madrid in the summer, and even though he wanted to leave the club, a move did not materialise.
Saul was even linked with a move away from Atleti in January. But Valencia, who were interested in him at the time, could not afford the deal, particularly because of the player’s salary and transfer fees.
The report from Mundo Deportivo states that Valencia have retained their interest in the player. But in addition to Los Che, Saul has been targeted by two other Spanish teams in the form of Rayo Vallecano and Sevilla.
Rayo have expressed the desire to sign Saul in the coming season. But they are likely to face economic difficulties in funding a move for the midfielder. The same can be said for Sevilla.
Saul’s current contract at Atletico Madrid expires in 2026, a deal that was agreed when the player was at his peak. But the long contract has now come back to haunt Atleti, as they desperately look to get rid of the Spanish international.
With his suitors likely to face financial trouble in weighing up a move, it will be interesting to see what the future holds for Saul in the coming summer.
Saul is not the only Atletico Madrid player facing an uncertain future, with Axel Witsel’s father also hinting at a possible exit recently.
