Arne Slot and Mats Wieffer realize that with the return of Memphis Depay, Atlético Madrid has gained an additional weapon. This is while coach Diego Simeone already has a number of top-quality attackers, as was evident in the first leg in Madrid.
Memphis was absent due to injury in the previous encounter, but will be available again on Tuesday night when Feyenoord faces Atlético Madrid for the second time in the Champions League. The 29-year-old international seems set for a role as a substitute. 'If he's fit, he adds goals, he's also a good focal point. It's less good for us that he's involved, but nice for them,' Wieffer said during the press conference.
Slot acknowledges that Atlético becomes stronger with Memphis's return. 'Some coaches will say: I want to play against the best players. I wouldn’t have minded if Atlético had 25 injured players, because I want to win. For us, it's troublesome that they have such a good substitute, but otherwise, they would have had Correa. They have so many good players. You have to deal with that if you want to progress.'
Griezmann
Feyenoord already experienced the quality of the forward line in Madrid, losing 3-2 with two goals from Álvaro Morata and one from Antoine Griezmann. Wieffer particularly finds the Frenchman a master at positioning. 'He pulls you to the side. It's annoying to play against. If you're just a bit late, he strikes. That's a great quality of his. He's one of Atlético's better players,' said Wieffer on Monday afternoon.
Since the first encounter, Atlético in La Liga has lost only to Las Palmas, with the other five matches resulting in victories. Slot recognizes the strength of the third-placed team in La Liga. 'Atlético was already good then and has only improved since. They have just dominated the games. It's a quality of theirs that they can achieve results, but also win when the other team dominates. Ultimately, that's what you want to achieve as a team.'
