Simeone: "My dream is to be in the Champions League again next year"

MADRID, 31 Oct. (EUROPA PRESS) -

The coach of Atlético de Madrid, Diego Pablo Simeone, affirmed that his "illusion" is to "be" again in the Champions League in the next 2023-24 academic year, although before that he trusts his squad to achieve classification this Tuesday in Porto for the Europa League because, according to him, it is "also important".

"My last game in the Champions League? The important thing is to be prepared for whatever happens to us at any time. My dream is to be back in the Champions League next year and I hope it happens. We don't have to walk away from game to game ", he stated at a press conference at the Do Dragao Stadium, where he will play the last match of the Champions League group stage.

In a context of crisis due to the elimination of the Champions League and the defeat in Cádiz, the 'Cholo' remembered his origins. "They taught me to always compete. Tomorrow the opportunity awaits us to reach the Europa League and for that we must be strong, visualize it and want it. We will go to look for the game with the weapons we have. We have been left out of the Champions League, but Europe League is an important competition too," he stressed.

Far from thinking about himself, Simeone was very expressive in pointing out who suffers the most from the current situation. "It bothers me more, I suffer more for all the people who work around this whole search. The club, the people who are with us, the boys, who beyond being able to have done things better, the side of the competitive claim I do not have nothing to complain about," he said.

"I'm ready to compete, I don't know how to do it any other way. They taught me as a kid that you can lose, this is within the three results of the game," added the Atletico coach, who admitted that it "hurts" to be eliminated from the League of Champions, but that "is reality."

In this sense, he said that he invites his players to "be together" and "strong". "Since the match against Sevilla we have had a fairly regular path within what the game allows us. Beyond a missed penalty, a 2-2 that could be a 3-2 in favor and went against... I believe in the team, I trust my players because I know we have a good team. You have to be patient, sustain the blows and when one asserts himself in the ring he plays one for us, "he wished.

In his opinion, the debate on style arises because "people need the results". "People want their team to win and, from not winning, a range opens up in which you are great specialists," he told the press.

Regarding the call for Kondogbia and Álvaro Morata, he explained that both wanted to be in this 'final' in Porto. "We have to get an important result. Hopefully Kondogbia and Morata can lend us a hand and Joao is the one with 30 minutes (in Cádiz). When the field speaks there is not much to say", he justified.