"Griezmann? Supporters expect every Atleti player to deliver"

This weekend, Atletico will play Espanyol away. This game will be pretty special for Antoine Griezmann, who will play his first game back as an Atleti player, after a couple of years at Camp Nou. 

During the press conference before the game, Simeone's first question was about their new striker. "I believe Griezmann is very excited to be back with us", he affirmed.

He is not afraid about how the fans will receive him back at the Metropolitano, after his controversial exit to LaLiga rivals, Barcelona. We will have to wait at least one more week to find out how Atletico's fans feel about it, as they play away this weekend: "Supporters just want him to give his best for this club, as they do with the rest of us. Atletico's crowd is very demanding and it is normal that they want him to give his all, as they do with the rest of us every day", he added. 

He was also asked if he thinks that fans will criticize him based on how he left the club back in 2019. "I can understand if some supporters feel this way, however, everything we do is based on improving our team to keep competing against the best. I just look for what's best for this club", he once again justified Griezmann's signing.

Simeone also wanted to make clear that Griezmann can play next to Suarez and Joao Felix. 

"We now have many options to play with, we can play with 3 or four upfront...The demands to start in any position are now really high as the competition is higher in every line, and that makes us a better team. We also have Correa, Lemar and Cunha...We have this many options for three spots. The competition is high. If things go right this will be joyful for all the fans" he said.

He also used his former club River Plate as an example: "Maybe you guys don't remember but River once had Alexis, Falcao, Rosales, Abreu, Bounanotte, Rios...All at once. They were all good and important attackers. They all played together and won the title that year".

Atletico's boss was also questioned about if he prefers a packed or short squad, and replied that it depends on the season. "Everything will depend on how things unfold. It is difficult to give any opinions at this stage. Names don't make a good team, only men do" he claimed. 

After the 2020-21 LaLiga title, Simeone is still hungry for more. "We want to improve. We had a poor Copa del Rey and we didn't compete like we wanted to in the Champions League. We have the Supercopa too. We play in four different competitions, and like in every season we want to do best than the season before", he affirmed. 

Lastly, he spoke about the upcoming game against Espanyol. "We are not changing anything, we will give our all. We are going to play an aggressive and complex team. It will be a difficult game, like every game on this league", he remarked.