Simeone: Fernando Torres will start against Real Madrid by Tom Conn | Posted on Tuesday, January 6th, 2015 Atletico Madrid manager Diego Simeone has announced that Fernando Torres will start in Wednesday’s 1st leg Copa del Rey tie against Real Madrid. In his pre-match press conference on Tuesday evening, Simeone made the announcement. “Torres was training with Milan before coming here. He played 10 league games there. He’s been here training with us for several days now and tomorrow he’ll start. If I didn’t see that he was strong enough, with the possibility of breaking down their defences, I wouldn’t rely on him. He has a different type of character than we currently have in the group and he’s going to make our attack stronger. I’ve had a great relationship with him since he was young, I got on very well with him when I was here with him and at Atleti, there are now players with a sense of belonging. One of the best players in the history of Atleti is coming in and the fans are behaving in an extraordinary way. Seeing 45,000 of them the other day was emotional. We feel like we can compete for everything. For La Liga, Champions League, Copa del Rey, everything. “Of course, when training is over we’ll decide who will join Torres and who will start from the bench.” Simeone then spoke about the rotations for both teams, with Real Madrid finally feeling the effects of Luka Modric’s injury. “Real Madrid look very good. They played a very intense game in Valencia. They’re just coming off their Club World Cup win. I’m always expecting a top team due to their world-class players. They have the squad that allows them to compete in a high number of games. They have a great manager and I’m expecting a tough opponent. “I’m always looking for who will give us the best chances in the game we have ahead of us, in combination with what the team requires. We have to make decision in order to find what’s best for the team in a competition which we hold in high regard and respect and has given us very important, historic moments. “Modric’s absense has prevented them from making the rotations they’d like. He’s been out for a lot of games, which has allowed Isco to progress. They have a lot of talent in midfield. We’re hoping to play the game the way we want and play an important game.” Simeone went on to add that he feels justified called Iker Casillas Real Madrid’s best player several months ago, as the Spanish international has now worked his way back to the elite level, while also adding that Jan Oblak will start in goal over Moya.
Posted on: Wed, 07 Jan 2015 15:51:08 +0000
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