Diego Simeone spoke of his relief after Atletico Madrid escaped Granada and an “end-to-end” contest with a 1-0 win on Saturday.
Antoine Griezmann’s late goal moved Atleti to within five points of third-placed Sevilla in La Liga, but Simeone was quick to praise Granada for making life extremely difficult for his side
“The win was very important,” the Coach said after the game.
“It was end-to-end stuff and Granada could’ve won it. It was a tough and very difficult match against a Granada side that are very good at home and very intense.
“Gimenez on as a midfielder? When there’s more strength in midfield, the better you attack, and when you open the wings more, the worse you defend. The game needed strength in the middle.
“Granada didn’t let us play with fluidity, but Gimenez allowed us to regain more possession and move the ball more vertically.
“Third place? It wouldn’t be good to look at Sevilla because five points is a big gap. We’re looking to secure fourth place because Real Sociedad are good and Villarreal are strong.”
