The Argentine coach also spoke about his friend Inzaghi: “When we were together at Lazio you could see that he had the coach’s DNA inside him. To impose ourselves it will be necessary to win more tackles than them”
– MILAN
Diego Simeone is happy, almost excited, to return to San Siro as Atletico coach to challenge Inter. As a footballer he wore the Nerazzurri shirt 84 times (14 goals scored) and from 1997 to 1999 he won the UEFA Cup in the final against Lazio played in Paris. Now he has… changed role and is no longer a midfielder with great temperament, but when in the pre-match press conference he spoke about his Inter adventure, his face lit up: “For me – he admitted – those were the two best years of my career. We had a strong team and an important group. I have great memories of the people who loved me and I gave everything I had. When you return to a city where you did great and you love the people, you have a particular feeling inside, the same one I felt when, a few months ago, I returned to Rome to challenge Lazio.”
INTER AMONG THE STRONGEST
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Cholo went on to compliment Inter and his friend Inzaghi: “They are among the 4-5 strongest teams in Europe, last season they made an extraordinary journey reaching the Champions League final and are confirming their value with first place in the championship. Now he has even more confidence in his abilities and his qualities: I really like how he plays and I’m not saying this because we will challenge him. Inter are concrete, simple in the development of their maneuvers and work hard at the level team, something important in my opinion. The Nerazzurri midfielder? Barella, Calhanoglu and Mkhitaryan I like all three because they get to the shot, get in and are strong. Who would I take away from Inter? Sommer… Without the goalkeeper, for us it would be easier to score.” Here we are with the friendship with Simone Inzaghi: “I have a great relationship with him after the years spent together at Lazio. We talked a lot about football because he was very hungry and inside he was already a coach. I love him and I’m happy with what he got it’s happening at Inter: he’s managing a group of guys who follow him a lot well.”
LAUTARO, NO REGRETS
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In 2017, Atletico Madrid had negotiated the purchase of the current Inter captain from Racing who instead ended up at Pinetina thanks to a blitz by sporting director Ausilio. Simeone respects Toro, but did not use the word “regret” regarding the failed transfer operation: “It’s true that he could have been with us, but it’s not a regret. He chose another path and that’s positive for him given what’s happening to him at Inter. As an Argentine, I’m happy for Lautaro. He had talent even when he was a boy and I had little doubt that he would establish himself in Europe.”
THE MATCH
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Here we are at the tactical analysis of the match, even if Simeone was careful not to reveal his cards: “Tomorrow we will play a lot on tackles: whoever wins the most will win the match. Atletico will try to gain more possession or it will be more wait-and-see? I always decide based on the players I field and the opponent we’re facing, but (smile, ed.) I’m not saying anything now… Certainly against an Inter team that is going through a great moment, the intensity we have will be needed shown in the Copa del Rey or against Las Palmas. Can Llorente be the key in attack? He has different characteristics from Memphis and Morata, and is perhaps closer to Correa. I haven’t decided whether to field him: I’ll think about it tonight and tomorrow you’ll see.”
koke analysis
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Together with him, the Spanish midfielder: “It will be a difficult match – said Koke – against a team that knows each other well and has quality players. Inter plays good football, defends well and has intensity. We hope to win anyway the meeting”. Then on his teammate Morata: “He has been training for the last two days and if he wasn’t well, he would no longer be with us. There is a possibility that he will come in and we hope that he can also score.” Koke also spoke about the duel with Barella, Calhanoglu and Mkhitaryan (“Three great midfielders”) and the attitude that Atletico will have to have: “We will have to be proactive, but also ready to suffer. The level in the Champions League is rising and we will have to be capable of facing a team like Inter which has an important collective. On the pitch they give the feeling of being strong. Lautaro? We all know him: he is a world-class striker. We didn’t need the indications of De Paul and Molina because everyone we know who Lautaro Martinez is.”
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