Atlético Coach Defends Misfiring Ademola Lookman, Says It’s a Phase

*Warns that Red Devils sluggish EPL form not reason to be taken for granted

**Duro Ikhazuagbe **with agency report

Ahead of tonight’s UEFA Champions League league phase clash between Atlético Madrid and Manchester United at the Metropolitano, Head Coach of the Spanish outfit, Diego Simeone, has come to the defence of his misfiring Nigerian international, Ademola Lookman.

The Argentine gaffer stressed that what Lookman has been passing through while another player (Álex Baena) is excelling is nothing unusually.

“Every player goes through their own phases, obviously, I don’t think there’s a player who can maintain a level of 10 all the time,” Simeone explained. “There’s always a dip, and it’s clear that Ademola Lookman is going through a phase where he’s not performing as he’d like to and as we’d like to see him, because he’s shown us what he’s capable of, but he works every day to become that player, the dribbler.

Simeone however restated that the Super Eagles forward must strive to be at his best after this phase this season.

“He needs to keep dribbling, he needs to lose the ball, he needs to keep pushing forward, because he’ll do well, because he’s got what it takes and because he’s a goalscorer,” emphasised the coach.

He poured encomiums on Baena for keeping the flag flying at Atlético.

“Álex Baena, on the other hand, comes from a different situation: a season marred by injuries, perhaps not as consistent as he would have liked in his first season,” Simeone continued. “(He’s since demonstrated) a world-class performance, confidence, assurance, a great run of form, and (I’m) trying to manage the best moments of each player for the good of the team.”

On tonight’s clash with Manchester United, Simeone speaks on why Atlético need to pick up points in the Champions League

“We know the difficulties of this competition. This format means you have to try to pick up points, whether at home or away, in the first match or the last. We need points, just as every team that wants to stay in this competition does.”

“I think, as I was saying after Saturday’s match, we read the game very well. We played well on Saturday and tomorrow (Tuesday) we’ll be facing an opponent who apply great pressure in your half, very good pressure, very aggressive, very intense, with very precise movements to buy time when pressing high. And they’ve got quick players, as Dávid Hancko rightly pointed out; regardless of the results, which have mostly been draws for them so far this season, they’re producing the same kind of performance they did last year. It’s Manchester United, a strong side, but we’ll have to steer the match in a direction where we believe we can cause them problems.

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