Football.- Simeone on the game in Miami: "We worry about things that don't happen."

"The team needs to take another step to equal the club's current position."

MADRID, 16 (EUROPA PRESS)

Atlético de Madrid manager Diego Pablo Simeone has stated that the team must "take another step to match" the club's level, which involves starting LaLiga EA Sports with a win this Sunday at home to RCD Espanyol (9:30 p.m.). He also rejected talk of the possibility of Villarreal and FC Barcelona playing their league match in Miami, as people often worry about "things that don't happen."

"Of the 100% of things we think about, 20% happen," he said in a press conference when asked about the possibility of playing in the United States. "We're constantly worrying about things we imagine might happen and then they don't. A year ago, it seemed like we were going to play against Barcelona, ​​everyone was worried, and in the end, you end up wearing yourself out over things that don't actually happen. In life, it happens to all of us, 'it's going to happen,' and in the end, of the 100 things we think are going to happen, 20% happen. Let's focus on what we have today," he added.

Regarding the new season, he confessed that he's approaching it "with great joy." "I'm happy where I am. I still have the energy that the position I occupy requires, and I know the good, average, and bad consequences of where I am," he said. "We always hope for the best, and to hope for the best, we have to continue on the path we've been on for so long, which is taking it game by game, and not stray from that," he warned.

In this regard, he called for "improvement, growth, and evolution." "The team needs to evolve in line with the club's evolution. Now is an important time for the team to be on the same page; in all these years, at one point the team grew more than the club, then the club matched the team, then the club continued to grow and the team didn't... Now the team needs to take another step to equal the club's position," he noted.

He also asserted that changes "are good, as long as they respond to what's needed." "In this case, we'll look to improve—I don't know if the word is change—things we can improve," he indicated. "We'll always look for what we see as the best in them, bringing out what each of them has and using it to achieve what we believe the team can achieve in the game. There's also the opponent, who sometimes allows it and sometimes doesn't," he affirmed.

However, he declined to comment on whether they'll be able to compete with Barça and Real Madrid this year. "I wouldn't rush into such a sweeping definition, 'we're better than these, we're worse than the other'… The reality is the game, the facts. These are important players who have arrived, but the important thing is to prove it on the field. From there, we'll earn the place we deserve throughout the season," he stated.

On another note, he confirmed that Álex Baena will start the match as a second striker. "He's performed very well in recent matches, and tomorrow he'll likely start in that position. He can play on the right, he can play on the left, he can play as a second striker. I see him less as a wide winger, as he does for the national team; I see him more as a midfielder, a second striker, or on the right or left wing. We'll exploit his best qualities, trying to find what works best for the team in each match. For tomorrow's match, in principle, he'll start in that position, and as the season progresses, we'll see, since Raspadori arrived a few days ago and Sorloth only trained at the end of the week," he noted.

"We probably have the dribbler qualities in Almada, Baena, and Julián Álvarez… Then we have a lot of people inside, like the front four: Griezmann, Julián, Sorloth, and Giacomo Raspadori, who can give us a lot of depth and different qualities. We'll look to exploit the best qualities of the players in the squad," he continued.

Finally, Simeone expressed his "great gratitude" for the "eight young players" who left the club and expressed confidence in the new signings. "New faces have arrived, young people with great enthusiasm and a lot of excitement. We know the legacy left by many of the players who helped this club grow over the past 13, 14, and 15 years. We hope each of them adapts as best as possible to the club's needs today," he explained.

"The transfer market closes the day it closes, and we have to be alert to any departures or possible arrivals. Every day, we try to find the best in each of them and help them improve, while they help us improve the team," he concluded.