Following a hard-fought 3-1 home win over Union St. Gilloise in the UEFA Champions League, Atlético Madrid coach Diego Simeone had some rare praise for his son Giuliano.
“He’s much more confident, more self-assured,” Simeone told the media regarding his 22-year-old son. “He’s young, he’s learning, he wants more, he definitely wants more.
“To do that, he needs to work hard, be humble and continue in the same vein,” he continued. “For us, when he’s on form, he’s very important.”
When addressing the pressure Giuliano faces to live up to the legacy of his family’s name at Atlético, Cholo Simeone said: “He’s very clear about it: he is Giuliano. He’s said it a thousand times, he wants nothing more than to be Giuliano. To be even better, he needs what I already mentioned: hard work, humility and continuity, not changing anything he brings to the team.”
Diego Simeone on the result
“We knew it was going to be a difficult and complex match. In Eindhoven, they were 3-0 up until the 90th minute. Against Inter, at home, they had a very good first half, with several chances to score. Inter broke the deadlock from a set piece and then dominated. We dealt with that situation; we improved as the match went on, just like against Sevilla. Their defensive work made it difficult to find spaces, their intensity in winning the ball back also created danger, we performed quite well in that aspect. The 1-0 came from a good defensive transition, a goal after Julián controlled the ball. He is a difference-maker. The second half was better: we were closer to what we wanted to do, we controlled the game and the counter-attacks better. They sank deeper, they were more tired. The second goal came, then the foul that we could have avoided… We knew they had tall players, they scored for 2-1 and we entered that dangerous period where it could have been 2-2 or 3-1. Luckily, it was 3-1.”
Diego Simeone on Robin Le Normand’s injury
“He looked fine to me. He’ll undergo tests and hopefully it won’t be too serious.”
Diego Simeone on what Pablo Barrios brings to the team
“What you see. He’s doing very well, he’s a lad who’s growing every day, he still has room for improvement. He aspires to more, like Giuliano. He’s important, he’s strong, he works hard, he recovers well, he attacks, he defends… We have to look after him. He doesn’t need to hear what we say to stay humble and keep improving.”
Diego Simeone on Alexander Sørloth’s attitude
“I loved it, just like the other day. I also loved how Conor and Josema came on. The substitutes give us important things, and that’s a very valuable weapon. In Alex’s case, when he breaks into spaces, when he’s brave, he’s very powerful. He’s done very well and that makes me happy, we need him.”
Diego Simeone on the first goal
“A great goal. Giuliano took advantage of his power and speed in the one-on-one, it was decisive and Julián scored a great goal. A shot from an important player. We wanted to finish the game trying to attack, they never changed their plan, they did bring on more tall players to try to create danger from set pieces. We had a chance to counter, as happened with Llorente (for the third goal), and it was a very tough match.”
