Atletico Madrid head coach Diego Simeone has played down Tottenham Hotspur’s poor league form ahead of Tuesday’s UEFA Champions League round of 16 first leg tie in Spain.
Simeone did not agree that Atletico were favourites going into the match, even though Spurs have lost five straight matches.
“When you step onto the pitch, you don’t remember where you are in the standings or what moment you’re in,” Simeone said in his press conference on Monday (via France 24).
“The players want to win, to play well, I don’t know anyone who thinks about their league position when they’re about to have a shot.”
Atletico take on a familiar face in midfielder Conor Gallagher, who joined Spurs in January after a season and a half in the Spanish capital.
“He’s a young man who worked with us with great humility and who arriving from midfield is very dangerous,” said Simeone.
“He behaved very well (here), and we have very fond memories of his time at Atletico.”
The former Argentina international also spoke about the pace of English teams.
“English teams have a faster pace. I don’t know why, I can’t quite put my finger on it.
“Some say the referees let the game flow more, I don’t know if it’s the tactics or the pre-game preparation, but it’s true that the speed is faster.
“When you watch it on television, you can see that the speed is faster than in Spain, Italy, Germany… it’s the fastest league.”
Despite that Simeone said that “technical quality” would also play its part in deciding the game, and that Tottenham could not win “just by intensity”.
