Simeone on Atletico's Mood, Barcelona, and Spain's Latest Racism Scandal

Atletico Madrid manager Diego Simeone spoke ahead of the first of three upcoming clashes with Barcelona. The two teams face off tomorrow in La Liga at the Metropolitano, and next week they will meet again in the Champions League.

“We approach this with the same enthusiasm we’ve had all season. We started pre-season training hoping to be in exactly this position at this moment.”

“Barcelona’s biggest threat? Their players. They are exceptionally good. Football relies more on the players than on the coaches. Barcelona has played a specific way since their coach arrived – with a high defensive line and an offensive setup, allowing them to attack after winning duels. We, with our characteristics, as we have for the past 14 years, will try to counter them,” Simeone began.

The Argentine continued with an update on the squad: “All the injured players are recovering well. Jan Oblak will train with the group on Monday. Rodrigo Mendoza will also join the team on Monday. Pablo Barrios is doing very well. And Marc Pubill is working hard to help us when the time comes.”

Finally, Simeone also addressed the issue of racism in Spain and the anti-Muslim chants from some fans during a friendly match against Egypt: “This is a societal problem, not just in Spain, Argentina, or Brazil. It’s about a loss of respect. The respect we once had for fathers, teachers, coaches, police… that’s something that has been lost. We must work with the understanding that with faith and trust in God, things can improve.”