Simeone lauds Atletico´s fringe players in Copa del Rey triumph

Atletico Madrid boss Diego Simeone praised his fringe players for their display during their victory over Elche in the Copa del Rey on Wednesday.

Atletico eased into the quarter-finals of the competition with a 4-0 win over fellow LaLiga side Elche, with Alexander Sorloth on target with a first-half brace.

Rodrigo Riquelme and Julian Alvarez also got themselves on the scoresheet, with Simeone able to rest some of his key players ahead of their LaLiga clash with Leganes.

Atletico’s second string line-up were worthy of their win, registering an expected goals (xG) total of 1.74 from their 14 shots to their opponents’ 0.51 from their 10 attempts.

“I’m happy with the effort of the boys who had fewer minutes, they were working well, and I knew they would respond in the same way,” Simeone started.

“The rival was doing very well, with many virtues in attack, but we were able to take them to the game we wanted and from there our speed created opportunities.

“We played a very good game, very serious, and with our expulsion the game was already gone for good.”

Into the quarter-finals of the Copa del Rey! pic.twitter.com/25WyC3zi9M

— Atlético de Madrid (@atletienglish) January 15, 2025

While making several changes to his team, Simeone expressed the importance of having a strong run in the Copa del Rey this season.

Simeone led Atletico to their 10th title back in 2012-13, beating Real Madrid 2-1 in the final thanks to goals from Diego Costa and Miranda at the Bernabeu.

But since that triumph 12 years ago, Atletico have failed to win the competition, reaching three semi-finals since then but failing to go any further.

Simeone also detailed the reasoning behind his wholesale alterations for Wednesday’s clash, with his side top of the LaLiga standings after 19 games of their season.

“I am cautious about saving players’ energy,” Simeone told TVE shortly after the game.

“We had to win to go through, and I trusted players who I thought could give us the chance to continue in the same vein as the team.

“I told them before the game that they’ve been working very well and that’s why we understood that the team that started gave us the option of going through.

“We played with humility against a team that plays well in the second division.

“I felt good energy within the team. Luckily, those players were able to show work, effort, humility, perseverance, accept the place they have within the team.

“That will make us compete better, and it will make it difficult for me to choose moving forward.”