Atletico Madrid boss Diego Simeone reserved special praise for the ‘tactically amazing’ Koke after Sunday’s 1-1 draw at Sevilla.
The central midfielder was switched into a more defensive role midway through the high-energy encounter with Simeone crediting his adaptability.
“We moved Koke’s position during the game, tactically he is amazing at adapting to a switch,” Simeone explained to reporters after the game, as cited by Diario AS.
“Sevilla were causing us a lot of problems down their right side so we needed to change our own shape to limit what they were doing to us and adjust accordingly.
“It was not something we had worked on before the game but the switch worked perfectly and the problem was fixed, even though Koke is not used to that job, so it is amazing.
“We knew how strong Sevilla would be at their home ground and it was a fantastic match, there were spells for each side when they were on top.
“We were much better after the break and I want to praise my players for this and the character they showed in adversity.”
