MADRID, 6 Nov. (EUROPA PRESS) –
The coach of Atlético de Madrid, Diego Pablo Simeone, stated on Wednesday that “Correa has the name Ángel for a reason,” referring to the last-minute goal scored by the Argentine forward for the Colchoneros’ 1-2 victory during their visit to Paris Saint-Germain in Matchday 4 of the Champions League group stage.
Speaking to Movistar Plus+ from the Parc des Princes, ‘Cholo’ Simeone explained his series of substitutions. “I believe that was the compensation to have a goal-scoring option in Griezmann, who always brings something different, and in Correa, who has the name Ángel for a reason,” he praised his compatriot.
“I’m happy, happy for the team. We came from a defeat in the Champions League, although we deserved to win based on the scoring opportunities we created. The opponent, Lille, was clinical despite that penalty that remains unclear. Today was the opposite,” the Atleti coach argued.
He emphasized the “tremendous collective effort against a team that attacks very well, that proposes a lot in different game situations, with a great night from Oblak and a decisiveness that we lacked in the match against Lille. This win compensates for that match we couldn’t win against Lille.”
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“In the first half, we had some counterattacks that didn’t materialize as they could have. We encountered that goal where, well, we made a mistake in our build-up play, and they took advantage of that pressure to score the first goal. I believe the equalizing goal was well-deserved as we made some good attacking combinations with a great finish,” he commented on Nahuel Molina’s equalizer in the 18th minute.
“The second half was about injecting energy into the team: Rodrigo went off, Koke came on; Galán left, Reinildo entered; Giuliano went off, Riquelme came on; Julián left, Correa came in. Believing in the players we have. Conor was exhausted from running, so Lino came in,” he described, then praised Correa once more for his decisive goal in the 90+3′.
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“Ángel is special, he knows it… It’s tough for him to accept the crucial role he has within the team as he is a player who always brings something when he comes on. I tell him this; we argue, he wants to play the full 90 minutes like any other player, but whenever he comes on, he gives the team a lot. And well, he knows he is extremely important, let’s call him the team’s ’12’.” stated Simeone.
Finally, despite the challenging victory, he remained cautious: “Calmness. We know this is going to be tough. Yes, it’s an important victory. We came from losing two consecutive matches, against Benfica and Lille. Perhaps everyone saw us as disorganized, so now we must stay calm because they will see us with enthusiasm. We are always trying to maintain balance, not too much or too little.”
