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Atletico Madrid coach Diego Simeone has admitted Super Eagles forward Ademola Lookman is going through a poor spell, but insisted the Nigerian has the quality to come through it, on the eve of the club’s UEFA Champions League tie against Manchester United.
Speaking at his pre-match press conference Simeone said Lookman is not currently performing at the level the club expects of him.
“Every player goes through their own phases, obviously, I don’t think there’s a player who can maintain a level of ten all the time,” Simeone said. “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.”
The Argentine urged the 28-year-old to keep taking on defenders despite the setbacks.
“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 goal scorer,” Simeone added.
Simeone contrasted Lookman’s situation with that of Alex Baena, whom he described as being in a great run of form after an injury-hit first season. The coach said he is trying to manage “the best moments of each player for the good of the team”.
Atletico host United at the Riyadh Air Metropolitano tonight with kick-off at 21:00 CEST (8:00 Nigerian time). It is the club’s first home game of this season’s Champions League.
Atletico lost 2-1 to Liverpool at Anfield in their opening group fixture, before beating Deportivo Alaves 2-1 in La Liga at the weekend. United opened their campaign with a 4-0 win over Sabah Baku and last drew 1-1 with Tottenham.
Simeone said the hosts must pick up points in the competition’s new format.
“We need points, just as every team that wants to stay in this competition does,” he said.
He also warned of the threat posed by the visitors. “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,” he said.
The sides last met in July’s pre-season friendly in Sweden, which United won 2-1. Simeone played down its relevance, saying both teams were missing players and that he would focus on United’s recent competitive matches instead. (The Nation)
