Atletico Madrid manager Diego Simeone has hailed Koke’s influence on the club’s midfield ahead of the crucial Round of 16 UEFA Champions League second-leg against Bayer Leverkusen on Tuesday.
The Spain international, 23, did not feature as Bayer defeat Atletico 1-0 in the first-leg at the BayArena in North Rhine-Westphalia.
Atletico have scored just once in their last four matches in all competitions, and are currently nine points adrift of La Liga leaders Barcelona.
“From a football point of view, Koke is possibly one of the midfielders that reads the game best, especially because he can play different positions in the midfield,” Simeone said.
“With a 360-degree vision that is great always, he always thinks in ways that help us control the offense. When he plays his best, he allows us to have a more dynamic game, not because of his body’s speed, but because of his mental speed.”
Additionally, Simeone has played down suggestions that Bayer play too directly, citing the club’s speed in attacking areas as a major strength.
“Bayer are a very tall team, but they don’t play the ball long, they play a direct game, and those are their strongest virtues, their three offensive players are really fast,” the Atleti boss added.
“Because they are fast they always get second chances when they attack, and we will have to face and solve these situations efficiently, which proved hard for us in the first half in Germany.”
Atletico Madrid (7/10); Bayer Leverkusen (5/1); Draw (11/4)
Marotta plays down Pogba exit rumours
Juventus general director Giuseppe Marotta has insisted the club are not planning to sell France international midielder Paul Pogba when the transfer window re-opens in the summer.
Pogba, whose current deal with the Turin giants expires in June 2019, joined Juventus on a free transfer (after leaving Manchester United) in the summer of 2012, and has since established himself as one of Europe’s most dynamic midfielders.
According to reports, the 22-year-old midfielder is reportedly attracting interest from several top European clubs, including the likes of Barcelona, Chelsea, Manchester City, Paris Saint-Germain and Real Madrid.
“There are clubs that are ready to spend 70 to 80 million euros for Pogba,” Marotta told Italian radio station Radio Deejay.
“There are many suitors for Pogba, but we do not want to open negotiations and we want him to stay with us.
“If we want to increase our level, we need players of great quality and Pogba is one of them.”
Pogba has bagged seven goals and two assists in 22 Italian Serie A appearances for the Bianconeri in 2014/15.
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