Atlético de Madrid have once again failed to make a comeback in the start of LaLiga. Simeone's men have once again left a bad impression, and this is the third draw in six LaLiga games. The captain, Koke, spoke to the microphones to give explanations to the media, and left some curious quotes.
Koke: “If you don’t run, you can’t play for Atlético de Madrid”
After the draw against Rayo Vallecano in the sixth round of LaLiga , it was Koke who was in charge of giving explanations. The captain faced the microphones to transmit his thoughts after Atlético de Madrid's poor start to the season , with a subsequent response from Simeone in a press conference. Koke completed a decent match, but it seems that he did not like the fact that some of his teammates did not give their all.
Koke started off by saying: "We don't come here and win just for the shirt, we have to run, and whoever doesn't run can't play for Atlético de Madrid ." He added: "In the first half we weren't good, we didn't have the attitude we need to have." Koke's face was very different to the one we're used to, and the Madrid native left the match very angry .
Koke and Simeone also wanted to emphasise that something similar to last season's LaLiga is happening. "We know what happened last year, that we often struggled in the first half and we have to learn from it. It can't be that we go out like this in the first half and in the second with a different attitude, we have to change that now, we are losing a lot of points with games like this."
Finally, he wanted to pay a compliment to one of the new signings: Conor Gallagher . "Conor comes from a different league, with a different rhythm and it shows, he helps out in the middle and we need people like that, who can run too." The Englishman was chosen as the MVP of the match after his great goal that gave Atlético de Madrid a point, and Simeone also expressed his delight with him.
Atletico Madrid's bad run in La Liga
Last summer was a key one for Atlético de Madrid , as they carried out a restructuring of the squad. Players who were not up to par left the club, leaving room for signings. With Simeone at the helm, Atlético de Madrid managed to reinforce itself with world-class players such as Julián Álvarez and Conor Gallagher .
The first draw would soon arrive, and in the first matchday of LaLiga against Villarreal , Simeone 's team dropped a point. The second draw would be against Espanyol at the Metropolitano , leaving a very similar image to that of Vallecas . The sixth matchday of LaLiga left Atlético de Madrid with a bad taste in its mouth, as they were unable to go beyond ( 1-1 ).
Simeone's team has started the season in a very irregular manner, leaving both good and bad impressions. Atlético de Madrid is already six points behind FC Barcelona, who are moving away after a clean slate. Real Madrid are three points ahead, and next Sunday's derby will decide who will be in the fight for LaLiga.