Ahead of the Champion's League match against Atletico Madrid on Wednesday, Chelsea manager, Jose Mourinho, has praised the attacking prowess of Diego Simeone's men.
Atletico are comfortably sat at the top of the Spanish League table - needing just two wins to lift the trophy, they've also shown a good spirit in Europe by eliminating both AC Milan and Barcelona; hence, the 51-year-old Portuguese boss is not quick to writing them off.
"They are a good side. They are not a counterattacking side. They are a good side. They defend well. They score goals. They win matches! They are in the semi-finals of the Champions League and need two victories to be Spanish champions.
"Atlético were my direct rivals for three seasons but I always felt a relationship of respect with the club. I have respect for what they are doing because to be in a Champions League semi-final is not for every club, and to have the possibility of winning the league against Barcelona and
Real Madrid is something that deserves my respect."
Mourinho also demanded the best form from his players - who cruised past Liverpool with 2-0 in the Barclay's League last weekend.
"It is a knockout game, a game of details, a game where maybe one goal is the difference. It is a game where everybody needs to be at the top level. For the 90 minutes the players are more important
than the manager, I trust them a lot and that helps me to be calm," the Special One added.
"Against Paris we were in a position where we had nothing to lose and no one really expecting us to turn the result around. At
the moment, it is a 'clean' result, it is 0-0 and the chances are equal. We are at home but a score draw is good for them and not for us; you cannot say who has the advantage."
On the other hand, visiting manager, Simeone, had this to say:
"The confidence is always there, especially in a semi-final of the Champions League. That's already a massive statement. My players are excited and keen. We know
we'll have to work hard tomorrow in a very difficult game, and we'll have to put in an enormous effort to get a positive result.
"I'm not focusing on where we are at the moment. I just want us to keep moving forward, not on what we've achieved. I usually let you guys talk about the progress we've undertaken in the last three years of success, but I'm not comparing Atlético Madrid with Chelsea, a team who won the Champions League two years ago. In the end the best team will win. With our hard work and our enthusiasm, we can do well and maybe et a positive result.
"I'm a football man. I respect different ways of setting out your team. It's about what's the best way for a specific game or a specific opposition. To defend well is not easy, so I congratulate teams who do that well. To attack well isn't easy, either. So you have to congratulate managers
who get their sides doing that. Football evolves. There is no 'best way'. It depends on the manager spending time with his players, talking different set-ups and tactics, different approaches and styles.
"But, in the end, it's important the team, the club, the institution wins, regardless of how it is achieved. There is no 'one
way' to play football. If we all played the same way, it would be very boring. You can play ten at the back or ten up front. What matters is the result."
The emergent winner faces Real Madrid in the UEFA Final in Lisbon on May 24.
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