Diego Simeone insists “what excites us most is playing for the Atletico Madrid jersey” ahead of Saturday’s match against Deportivo La Coruna in La Liga.
Atleti enter the final 10 rounds of the League campaign eight points behind leaders Barcelona but can cut the deficit to just five, providing they beat Depor and the Catalans are stunned by Getafe, but the Coach maintained the buzz of representing Los Colchoneros was his side’s biggest motivation.
“[On Depor being a trap game], no because we’re approaching this game the same way as the other we’ve played so far,” he said at a Press conference.
“We have seen [Depor’s] trajectory and are expecting their best. From this, we’ll try to take the game to where we want it.
“We hope [Fernando] Torres recovers in the best way possible. The doctors are keeping me posted.
“[On Yannick Carrasco possibly playing as a striker], yes, it’s possible.
“[On Periscope], as none of my team use it, I have no comment to make.
“[On Filipe Luis’ claim Lionel Messi receives special treatment], I don’t base my opinions on those of others. It’s a question for Luis.
“Beyond the situation we’re in, we’ll work with the same enthusiasm and commitment because what excites us most is playing for the Atletico Madrid jersey, and we’ll do our best. We won’t change.
“Normally, these last 10 games tell us who will fight for the title, will go down, qualify the Europa League…
“All the teams play differently to how they did [in the previous 28] because they all need to pick up points.
“[On Augusto Fernandez and Carrasco starting], we’ll decide [on Saturday], but they can both play.
“[On cantera Theo Fernandez], he’ll keep training with us because he can offer us something different. He is young and has to keep growing.
“[On Rafa Nadal doping allegations], I have a lot of respect for Nadal, but it’s very difficult to comment on something I’m not aware of.
“Still, I trust him as a public figure, person and an athlete.”
