Pep Guardiola: Atletico Madrid will challenge for title
Barcelona manager Pep Guardiola claimed today that Atletico Madrid is one of the teams capable of mounting a serious challenge for the La Liga title this season.
Guardiola led his men to victory against Atletico at Vicente Calderon Stadium yesterday — the first time Barca has won there since he took over as first-team coach.
All of the goals came in a pulsating first-half. Lionel Messi notched the opener in the 13th minute, but parity was soon restored by Raul Garcia. But Barca defender Gerard Pique popped up at the other side of the pitch to thump home the winner.
While the match was marred by an ankle injury sustained by Messi, Guardiola was happy with the victory, and asserted his belief that Atletico — who can boast the likes of Argentine attacker Sergio Aguero and the winner of the Golden Boot for the best player
of the 2010 FIFA World Cup, Diego Forlan among their ranks — will be near the top of the table come the end of the season.
He told reporters at a press conference that, "If they always show this attitude and aggressiveness, they are capable of beating anyone, even [Real] Madrid. If they keep it up throughout the year, they are candidates for the title."
Guardiola also took the time to praise his players for their performances. He said that, "We showed how we can play and with these players we can go where none have gone before. We just play, play and play. If we had won 1-5 there would have been no difference,
we played fantastically."
Atletico are level on points with Barcelona, having won two of their three games in the league so far this season. The UEFA Europa League holders face surprise league leaders Valencia in their next match, on Wednesday, September 22.
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