De Paul: "These games involve a lot of energy mentally"
The Atletico coach, Diego Pablo Simeone, and the Argentine midfielder made an appearance in the Al-Nassr press room for the press conference.
Diego Pablo Simeone and Rodrigo de Paul were the Atlético de Madrid representatives in the press room of the Al-Nassr facilities in Riyadh, and manager Diego Simeone appeared convinced that they know what they have to do to bring their fans joy. Winning the league game against Real Madrid had given them confidence, even if the match plays out differently.
Following the recent league match, Simeone stuck to his typical "game by game" approach to talk about the large number of games in a short period of time against their Madrid neighbours. "In that game we won, but they had players out; tomorrow, surely, their level of play will increase," he said. With Atlético Madrid the only team to have beaten Real Madrid in the league this season, he played down the importance of the league match on tomorrow’s outcome.
❝Como siempre, vamos a ir partido a partido. Nos enfrentaremos a un grandísimo rival y eso nos ilusiona❞
🗣️ @Simeone | @Atleti#superSupercopa pic.twitter.com/lw4BbIykaE
— RFEF (@rfef) January 9, 2024
The coach also highlighted the "enthusiasm and respect" of the Saudi Arabian public, "as we have always felt when we have come here" over the last four years.
For his part, Rodrigo de Paul, who was the first to speak to the media, referred to the fact that they are facing Real Madrid several times in a row. "These games involve a lot of mental energy, but it is what it is; we love playing these kinds of games, I think we're ready and the team will do very well," he said. "We know what we have to do to give our fans something to cheer about," said de Paul.
❝Jugar este tipo de partido te exige tener mucha fuerza mental y mucha energía. Son los encuentros más bonitos❞
🗣️ @rodridepaul | @Atleti#superSupercopa pic.twitter.com/uoq4nEBCby
— RFEF (@rfef) January 9, 2024
On his own personal performance, the Argentine midfielder highlighted the fact that he has been feeling "good" in the last few games, "in a way that I wanted to feel". "I have’t stopped to think about the reason, but the Rodrigo that is starting to turn up on the pitch is the Rodrigo that I have to be '', he said, while thanking "the club and his teammates” for their patience and the confidence they have shown in him. "I feel good, physically and mentally, and I hope to continue like this'', he concluded. A good feeling that was seconded by the coach himself, as Simeone said: "This is the Rodrigo de Paul that we went to Udinese to find".
This is how the training session went
After the press conference, the official Atlético de Madrid pre-match training session began at the adjoining facilities, under the direction of Simeone and with the presence of all the players called up for this match, 24 in total. The first minutes of the training session were shown live on rfef.es.
