Diego Simeone has brushed off Atletico Madrid’s good fortune against Porto and assured that any team in the Champions League Last 16 will be tough.
Los Colchoneros have set themselves up as one of the sides to avoid in the knockout stages of the competition, as they concluded Group G with 16 points and a 2-0 win over Porto on Wednesday evening.
However, their Coach is adamant that they will not be looking to the draw for the next round with particular fancy for certain opponents.
“We do not consider ourselves better than anyone else,” Simeone told reporters after yesterday’s win, achieved thanks to goals from Raul Garcia and Diego Costa.
“The tie will be 50-50. There are many teams that are more experienced than us. They are all very tough teams.
“I believe that any team we play will be at a very similar level. We do not believe that we are better than anyone else.”
Yesterday notably saw Atleti ride their luck, with Porto striking the woodwork four times and also having a penalty saved by Dani Aranzubia.
“We suffered in some situations in the first half, but had patience. Even so, we are happy with the result because the team has stayed competitive.
“Did we enjoy good luck? The posts are part of the field, we also had some good chances in the one-on-ones…”
Simeone commented before yesterday’s game that he expects more from Oliver Torres, and afterwards he was asked exactly what he meant.
“What we saw after the first 15 minutes and until half-time. He played the game we expect of him, with vision, with a presence in attack, with intensity…”
Manchester United manager David Moyes was at the Vicente Calderon.
“He is probably looking at potential opponents and it is always important to look at other teams.”
