MADRID : Atletico Madrid manager Diego Simeone is counting on the team’s passionate fans to spur them on in their first home match of the LaLiga season against last year’s surprise package Girona on Sunday.
“I played my time as a footballer in front of this crowd and it was above everything else. It always pushes those who have to play and hopefully we can release the energy of the stadium on to the pitch,” Simeone told a press conference on Saturday.
After a disappointing start to the season with a 2-2 draw at Villarreal on Monday, Simeone said he expected home advantage to help them beat a strong rival such as Girona.
He said he had felt emotional when more than 30,000 fans showed up at the Metropolitano Stadium on Wednesday to welcome Atleti’s new signings, who include former Premier League stand-outs Julian Alvarez and Conor Gallagher and Spain Euro 2024 champion Robin Le Normand.
“The other day at the unveilings, when I saw the recognition given to the new boys and how so many people came to see those players, I was thrilled,” Simeone said.
“Today we have the chance, with a lot of hard work, to put together an interesting and competitive squad and we have to be aware of the place we are in and the responsibility that this entails,” he said.
“We live it with a lot of passion, I don’t forget where we come from. Sure, it will depend on a number of factors but on Wednesday I got emotional… This is a consequence of what past generations have left behind.”
Simeone said he expected to add two more players to his squad before the transfer window closes in a week. Atletico have already spent more than 200 million euros ($223.80 million) on reinforcing their squad after a disappointing season in which they finished fourth in the LaLiga standings.
“We are fulfilling everything we talked about at the beginning of the summer, the path is going the way we wanted, we are on the way to closing it; we are still missing two players who should arrive soon, in a few hours they will be with us,” Simeone said.
One of those players should be French defender Clement Lenglet, who according to media reports is expected to arrive from Barcelona on a season-long loan, with the Catalonia giants desperately trying to reduce their first-team wage bill so they can comply with LaLiga’s financial controls.
($1 = 0.8937 euros)
