Coaches praise fantastic Falcao
Friday, August 31, 2012
Article summary
A "spectacular" first half secured Club Atlético de Madrid's UEFA Super Cup win according to Diego Simeone, who, like Chelsea FC's Roberto Di Matteo, praised Falcao.
Article top media content
Article body
Diego Simeone, Atlético coach
We were playing against the European champions – a team which had eliminated Barcelona in the semi-finals and then Bayern München. They didn't have luck on their side but we had a great strategy followed to the letter by the players, which fills me with pride as a coach. They played the game as I imagined.
Things don't happen as they appear on paper in football which always tells us anything can happen in a game. We did our homework and knew how they could hurt us and we knew how we could hurt them. When a team follows an idea, the path is easier to follow. We could have scored two before our first goal and our first half was truly spectacular; we played a great match.
[On Falcao's form] I'm speechless. I really can't describe it. What Radamel is doing is indescribable. He's a lad that whenever you set the bar high he sets it higher and rises to the occasion. He has dedication above and beyond what is normal. I've known him since he was very young and he's always demanding; pressure is his source of strength. He's an excellent player. He works to improve every day and his motivation is infectious for the whole squad. Hopefully we can enjoy him at Atlético for a long time. Tomorrow the streets of Madrid will be filled with joy and that makes me very happy.
Roberto Di Matteo, Chelsea coach
We had a very slow start and conceded two goals inside 20 minutes and after that it was very difficult for us. They started well. We conceded too much space, especially to a player like Falcao – you cannot give him space. We said before that he is one of the top strikers in European football and he showed it again with the second goal, which was a very good strike.
We were never in the game because they scored after six minutes and then inside 20 minutes we were 2-0 down so that's the most disappointing aspect. We lacked penetration in the first half. The game went in their favour after the early goal - they defended with a lot of men as a unit and made it difficult for us to find space.
If you look at the start of our season we've looked more solid – being hard to beat has been our game – and that certainly wasn't the case tonight. I'm happy with the squad. We have a good core of players and have signed some young and exciting players. It will take some time to integrate them but I'm happy with what we have.