The Argentine tactician arrived in Israel without a clutch of first team regulars including http://www.senore.com/Football-soccer/Radamel-Falcao-c30276, and defended his surprise squad selection ahead of the European fixture.
Atletico Madrid kick off their UEFA Europa League title defence against Hapoel Tel Aviv. For the crunch European match up, Diego Pablo Simeone left a host of his first team players back in http://www.senore.com/Football-soccer/Vicente-c36001 Calderon, deciding to give his squad players minutes on the
pitch.
Ahead of the fixture, El Cholo took out time to defend his strange squad selection which does not include the likes of Radamel Falcao, http://www.senore.com/Football-soccer/Gabi-c14252 and Diego Godin.
The former http://www.senore.com/Football-soccer/Israel-c2925 with him.
Simeone pointed towards the likes of Cata Diaz, Belozoglu Emre, Raul Garcia, and http://www.senore.com/Football-soccer/Diego-c11058 Costa, and their feats last season to dispel suggestions Los Colchoneros will not be competitive against their rivals.
“Cata Diaz is a top player, Emre is captain of http://www.senore.com/Football-soccer/Diego-Costa-c11116 12 with Rayo Vallecano,” the Argentine was quoted on Madrid based Spanish sports daily, AS.
“We have a very competitive team,” Simeone reaffirmed. “We have not come to put on a show. We came to win.”
El Cholo had words of praise for their rivals, sharing that he likes Israeli outfits’ footballing philosophy. He pointed out the dynamics of teams from the region as their speciality, whilst also highlighting the manner in which they control the ball.
“I like how all Israeli sides play. They are very dynamic and move the ball well.”
“Everyone knows I do not like to give up on anything, so I want to be competitive in every tournament we play. It's a good challenge for the team.”
Atletico Madrid are on an impressive run of form, with three straight victories in all competitions, including one against UEFA Champions League winners’ http://www.senore.com/Football-soccer/Chelsea-c38786. Interestingly, Diego Pablo Simeone’s men have won all the fixtures with a result of three goals
or more.
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