Simeone: Without Godin, Atletico lose leadership
The injury to Diego Godin has come at a bad time for Diego Simeone's Atletico Madrid, although the Rojiblacno coach hopes to have Jose Maria Gimenez back and has confidence his side can beat Malaga this weekend.
"Without Godin we lose leadership." That's how Simeone summed up the loss of the Uruguayan central defender after it was revealed he'd be out for between 10 and 15 days with a hamstring problem. But the Atletico boss has faith in his players: "We have footballers who are playing really well. Gimenez is back with us and Lucas [Hernandez] has been working well. There's no fear and that, in our team, counts for a lot."
Simeone didn't come out with his classic 'game by game' phrase when it came to talking about the title race. "This season has been better than the last, but there is still a lot of football to be played. We don't know where we will finish," he said. In this sense, the only thing he hopes for from here until the end of the campaign is that his players continue working as they have been.
Despite the fact Malaga come to the Vicente Calderon with little to play for, Simeone expects Javi Gracia's side to play well. "I am sure that Malaga will be motivated. When a footballer plays against a big side he wants to play well, and they know how to play intense games," Cholo added.
