Atlético warned not to get ahead of themselves
Tuesday, October 22, 2013
Article summary
While FK Austria Wien coach Nenad Bjelica rued his players' lack of bite early on, a content Diego Simeone was cautioning his Club Atlético de Madrid side against complacency.
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Nenad Bjelica, Austria Wien coach
We didn't snap into challenges the way we had intended in the opening 20 minutes – we showed too much respect. We allowed our opponents too much space. Being 2-0 down against a superior side like Atlético 20 minutes into the game is a problem. We did not give up, but Atlético were far too big challenge for us today. It was not our day.
It was a tough game for us – Atlético are clearly a quality side. The difference between the squads is approximately €200m in player value. Atlético are full of international stars from Spain, Argentina, Brazil and Uruguay. They are in good form and proved too strong for us.
We created some chances and got into the match, but it was too late. We are not scoring enough goals but today, unlike against Porto and Zenit, we did not manage to keep a clean sheet for long.
The Champions League is a big learning curve for us and, with Zenit winning in Porto, we have a chance of claiming at least third and the Europa League spot. But this is not over yet – we are only halfway through the group stage. We have three games remaining and will look to record our first win in the Champions League.
Diego Simeone, Atlético coach
It was a very good first half from us in how we interpreted the way we had to control the game and its rhythm. Positioning Raúl [García] behind Diego Costa gave us a lot. Our full-backs were also excellent. We cannot afford to move away from this game-by-game mentality. We know the difficulties we will face in the UEFA Champions League and the Liga.
Diego Costa was unbelievable today, he had an excellent game, scored two goals and showed how important he is for the team. Raúl García also gave a fantastic performance, but I would like to praise the team as a whole. The whole team were compact and played well, with some nice attacks and goals.
We have nine points from three games, we are on a good run in the league and in the Champions League, but we cannot fall asleep. We have to take it game by game and do our best to continue like this. We are going very well at the moment.
