Ask Real Madrid, and This is Rashford’s Situation
Flick said about Atletico Madrid: “We had some issues, Rashford is not ready, he suffered a bruise, it’s not good news, but I believe in my team. The situation is not easy, we are playing against a great team. I watched the cup match against Betis and it was amazing. Simeone is doing a great job at Atletico, I appreciate a lot what I saw, and it will be a tough match tomorrow.”
Regarding Raphinha, he said: “Step by step, we have to take care of him, he is a player who gives everything with high intensity. If he feels something, we have to be cautious, that’s the situation. I’m not happy because we need him, just as we need Pedri, Gavi, Andreas, or Marcus.”
He continued: “He feels sensations in the muscles and we must take care of his body, we have to support and monitor him.”
Regarding the Metropolitano stadium pitch, he said: “This is not a good thing because we have to take care of the pitches, in Spain, the conditions are usually great, I hope it will be in good condition tomorrow.”
Regarding playing away in the first leg, he said: “These two matches will determine who qualifies for the final, that’s the goal for both teams. Last season it was tough, we played at home first, it’s two matches, 180 minutes, and we are ready to reach the final.”
On Atletico’s difficulties, he said: “I’m only focusing on this match, I don’t like talking about Real Madrid, for you that’s good, but for me, it doesn’t matter. If we play against them, I will focus on them. Atletico deserves respect, they are a great team, playing against this type of opponent at this level is great.”
Regarding alternatives amid absences, he said: “I don’t have a clear idea yet, we’ll see tomorrow.”
On qualifying for the semi-finals without facing any La Liga teams, he responded: “Ask Real Madrid,” referring to Real Madrid’s elimination by Albacete, one of the lower division clubs.
He added about respecting opponents: “It was a good answer, second-tier teams should also be respected. Last season we played in Barbastro then against Betis and Valencia and the results were better than this year, in Albacete and Santander it was the same. Those teams should be respected, this is the cup and they have shown quality, they were able to beat first division teams, for me, that argument makes no sense, it’s just wasting energy and I don’t like it.”
Regarding Ronald Araujo, he said: “We know Ronald’s situation, he spoke openly and we supported him as much as we could, opening up like that means you’re strong, in football mentality is very important and focusing on winning. One day I will talk about everything, when he says it was a year and a half in this state, it’s important to care for the players, you have to think about that, as a coach you have to take responsibility for all the players, you have to think beyond your own interest.”
On Kounde, he said: “Kounde is a fighter, always focused, we are human, maybe you don’t have the best day, but he always fights, even when he doesn’t start well, I appreciate what he does, he has a high mentality, he will show that tomorrow, it will be a tough match for everyone, I like what I see from Atletico, they have a clear philosophy.”
Regarding Lamine Yamal: “I am very happy with everything I see from him, on the field he is always able to decide matches in the right direction, he is a great player and has everything we love in football, dribbling, one-on-one play, it’s fun to watch, I am very happy with what I see, in training he always wants to improve and that’s good, he has to improve and he can improve a lot in the coming years.”
