Simeone and Barça’s referee complaint: “We live in Madrid, so we are used to it”

The coach of Atlético de Madrid, Diego Pablo Simeone, assured this Friday that they are “accustomed” to the arbitration complaints issued by the clubs, as in the case of FC Barcelona after the first leg of the Champions League quarterfinals against the red and whites, being “in Madrid” where “these things happen.”

“I am very respectful. We live in Madrid, so we are used to that type of situation. For those who understand it, it is very easy to understand. So it does not move us at all,” confessed the Argentine about the formal complaint issued by the Blaugrana team to UEFA for Wednesday’s refereeing in the Champions League.

In another order of things, the coach of the red and white team admitted that he does not lose sight of his ‘game by game’ speech ahead of this Saturday’s game against Sevilla (9:00 p.m.). “There are a lot of reasons. For having the shirt we have, for representing the shield we represent, for our people, for our family, for the excitement that the kids have who will surely have to play,” he highlighted.

However, changes are expected in Atlético de Madrid’s starting eleven with the possibility of youth players entering. “When some kids have the opportunity to play, it is clear that a lot of situations appear in their heads where it is more important to isolate themselves than to be aware of them,” he said.

“It is true that the demons are always spinning in our minds, and they invite us to want to relax, to want to be afraid. And there is our mental strength to get out of that place, not to give space to these demons that are always there and for one to play as they have been doing every game,” he added.

For the meeting in the Sevillian city, Simeone will not be able to count on Jan Oblak who “is not yet there to accompany” although “he is looking forward to it.” “Today we had a nice talk with him. He is a very important player for our team and we need each other, so let’s hope that by Tuesday he will be there to join us,” he said.

In that sense, he does not want to think about the recovery time of the other injured players and whether they will reach the Copa del Rey Mapfre final. “I’m thinking about Sevilla now. Honestly, I’m not thinking about the boys who are in the recovery process,” he commented.

Regarding the situation of his rival, which he went through during his time as a player, Simeone wishes him “absolutely the best” so that they can reverse the situation in the league standings, now two points above relegation. “Sevilla was a very important place in my career, in my life, on my path to the person I am, how they treated me, how I was able to live in the city,” he stressed.

Furthermore, this league date is part of the ‘Retro Day’ proposed by LaLiga in reference to past football, although Simeone believes that “it cannot be compared.” “We live in another society. Football had a different speed and it is clear that everything evolves forward. That was very nice, it would seem that what happened before was always very good, but today we have a nice competitive League with very demanding competitions and we enjoy it in such a way,” he concluded.