"If anyone else had scored Saúl’s goal, we’d be watching it for a month" - Paco

How do you see the game against Atlético? "It’s the rival who at this moment in time, is the hardest team to beat. It’s a team which knows exactly what its strong points are and how to use them; they are capable of resolving various different situations and their morale is sky high. We know that it’s a complicated ground to visit but it’s also one of the most beautiful stages to play at. It really is a delight to play at the Calderón and I really hope that for the next few years we have the chance to play there again".

It depends on the rhythm of the game and how much time we have on the ball. Atlético know how to keep energy in reserve; they exert only the required amount. I can understand that they won’t want a physically demanding game – or to made to run kilometres due to the effort they made the other day.

Saúl said the other day that he was very grateful to you for all you did for him during the season he spent on loan at Rayo... "It’s us who should be grateful to Saúl, we have to thank him and Atlético for letting him come to our club. Way beyond the experience he gained with us in the Primera División, the ones who really benefitted were us. You never really know what ceiling a player will reach. It would be very self-seeking of me to say otherwise. We could tell that he was a different player, that he had the talent to become a great player. I am quite sure that he can go on and become even better than he is now. That goal was the culmination of all of the hard work he has put in, but he’s also had a great season right from the start. I think the best is yet to come. When his morale is at these levels he’s capable of anything. He’s got what it takes to get where he wants – he’s intelligent and he has a family who know the kind of player he is. He’s got all of the requisites to be a great player for many years".

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What did you make of his stunning goal against Bayern the other night? "That was the kind of goal which could have been scored by Messi, Cristiano… It was a goal which had everything: physical force, talent, technique, finishing… If it had been someone else who had scored it, we’d be watching replays for the next month. And for the game he put in, gave it even more value. It was the kind of goal which transcends pure aesthetics; I hope it is worth a place in the final for Atlético".