Atletico Madrid Boss Simeone Hails De Paul and Giuliano's Contributions

Atletico Madrid manager Diego Simeone has praised the excellent form of Rodrigo de Paul and the progress of his son Giuliano.

Atletico Madrid manager Diego Simeone has praised the excellent form of Argentine midfielder Rodrigo de Paul, who has been instrumental in the team's success in recent weeks. Ahead of their LaLiga meeting with Villarreal, Simeone highlighted De Paul's contributions, saying, “He's an established footballer, a world champion. Surely, in this recent good period, he's been performing at his best for Atletico, and it's normal for people to appreciate what he's giving.”

Simeone emphasized De Paul's importance to the team, stating, “He's very important for us, with a lot of personality, and we hope he continues this way. We'll demand this from him because it's what we need.” De Paul's impressive form has been a key factor in Atletico's winning streak, with the team having won 16 out of 17 matches in all competitions.

In addition to praising De Paul, Simeone also heaped praise on his son, Giuliano, who received a standing ovation during a 2-1 Champions League win over Bayer Leverkusen on Tuesday. Simeone said, “I see him only as a footballer. I value his work. He is exactly what we imagined, and he's doing what we expect of him.”

Simeone acknowledged that Giuliano still needs to improve, particularly in terms of scoring goals. However, he expressed confidence in his son's abilities, saying, “We will demand improvement from him, he needs to score goals, but he has the most important qualities, enthusiasm, courage, humility, generosity. He will continue to grow if he stays on this path.”

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With Atletico Madrid second in the LaLiga standings, Simeone was asked if it was beneficial for his team to play before their title rivals, Real Madrid. He responded, “We are still a long way from the end of the league, we only care about our game and concentrate on what our opponents present us with.”

Simeone emphasized the importance of focusing on their upcoming match against Villarreal, saying, “Villarreal has a well-defined game with defensive work and a lot of players in order to counterattack with the four forwards who are very good. (Alex) Baena, (Yeremy) Pino, Gerard Moreno or whoever plays up front. They played very well against Mallorca and we are not thinking about anything else but looking for players who can help us.”