Atletico Madrid manager Diego Simeone has clapped back at the media, following what he sees as unfair coverage of Los Colchoneros. This week Atletico all but sealed their passage to the quarter-finals of the Champions League, but the headline story was Julian Alvarez’s comments after the game.
Asked if he would be at the club next season, Alvarez was unable to confirm that would be the case, which following months of speculation, sparked significant reaction. The Argentina forward has been linked to Barcelona, Arsenal and several other clubs over the past year, plenty of which has come from his own camp.
Simeone responds: ‘I’m speaking to our people, not the media’
Naturally, Alvarez’s comments were one of the first questions Simeone was asked on Friday before his side host Getafe. Simeone gave a strong response.
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“I understand all your questions. We beat Club Brugge, and for you, the best player on the pitch was Oblak. The focus was on Oblak making a great save. We beat Barcelona, and the headline is that Griezmann might leave. Griezmann is staying with us and will play in the final. We won the other day, and the question is whether Julian might leave or stay,” he told Marca.
“Julian made some statements the other day, correct statements in my view, and he’s giving us a lot. I speak to our people now, not the journalists… We’re in a good place. I told them we were going to compete, and we are competing at the end of the season.”
Alex Baena’s lack of minutes
Last summer’s star signing is going through a tough spell, with Alex Baena only having featured for 21 minutes in Atletico’s last four games. Simeone has previously demanded more of him, and did so again.
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“He’s an extraordinary player. We’ve talked about it on several occasions. We need him to raise his level of play, and when that happens, he’s exceptional. He can play in many positions. It depends on him, and he’ll continue to give us great things.”
Simeone certainly has a point that the most controversial narrative is going to be picked up by the media over performances. It is fair to question whether Atletico have been getting the credit they deserve of late. Equally, the Griezmann story stems from his own talks with Orlando City, and Alvarez is intelligent enough to know how to respond to a question about his future without creating headlines.
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