Simeone: "We'll need to all pull together for the Arsenal game"
A very pleased Diego Simeone praised his Atlético side after watching them come away with all three points from a notoriously tough Alavés ground this afternoon
A very pleased Diego Simeone praised his Atlético side after watching them come away with all three points from a notoriously tough Alavés ground this afternoon. In doing so, Atleti restore their four-point lead over Real Madrid in the table, and give the team a lift ahead of Thursday's Europa League semi-final decider against Arsenal: "Now, we'll be getting some rest, then straight back to work", he said.
Great result: "Alavés started better than we did, had chances to score, looked dangerous and made the most of their pace on both wings with Sobrino and Pedraza. After making a couple of changes we started to feel a little more comfortable and were more clear with our attempts and that boosted our chances of taking the game".
Pushed all the way
Second place in the table: "Alavés are a tough team to play. It's difficult for visiting teams to win at this ground and this was a victory which we really needed".
Arsenal: "We're really looking forward to it. For now though, we need to get some rest and after that, we'll get back down to work, united, as one"
Tiredness and rotating the team: "We went into this game after making a huge exertion the other night and some of my players were not in conditions to play a tough, demanding game like this".