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Following two consecutive defeats in the New Year, Atlético Madrid captain Maxi Rodríguez has criticised the attitude of the team, but acknowledged that the side know they are not playing well...
Atlético Madrid have had a miserable start to 2009 and this has been reflected by the words of their skipper, Maxi Rodríguez.
The Argentine spoke to Marca today about the loss to Barcelona last night, and also about the defeat to Valencia at the weekend, and he summed up that the attitude has not been 'the best.'
"I do not believe we had enough respect, and we didn't fear that things could not go well," he began.
"In these games, one must have the right attitude, that things can go well or badly, and I believe they are won through more than just scoring goals, with fighting and delivering.
"The commitment has not changed a bit though, maybe just the attitude in the play. Before we played as a team and everyone was together, and perhaps, in these two games, it was not thus. This is what we tried to analyse today."
Indeed, Atlético were simply overpowered by Barcelona and Valencia, showing another sign that they are perhaps incapable of competing with the big teams for now.
Maxi doesn't buy into that theory however, and assured fans that the team know they are not playing well, and they are the ones who will fix things.
"We are the first to recognise that we are not doing well, we know we are the same team that has won fifteen games [in all competitions] but we must hold our heads up and acknowledge we have not played well," he mused.
"They were two important games, and cannot be played in the manner they were, we cannot throw away what we have done previously in just a handful of games."
Copa Over?
Worryingly for Atlético though, their participation in the Copa Del Rey looks all but over, following their 3-1 drubbing by Barcelona in the Vicente Calderón. The captain is not prepared to accept that they are out yet, but admits that it is a tough task to turn things around.
"It was a competition that we wanted to reach the end of, we wanted to get a good result at the Calderón and then fight at Barcelona, but now things are very different. We must score three goals to go through, and whilst nothing is impossible, it is obviusly very difficult," he declared.
Atlético were put to the sword chiefly by Lionel Messi, who scored a hat-trick in the victory, and whilst Maxi did have praise for him today, he was also self-critical.
"We all know Messi and we did not discover anything, when he plays well he is very difficult to stop, but if we do not do anything to try and stop him, then it is easier," he mused.
The Champions League side were without their own Argentine wonderkid, Sergio Agüero, and even though the skipper stopped short of admitting they are a one-man team, he did acknowledge his importance.
"He is very important for us and certainly if he plays the game changes, because his presence instils more respect from the opponent. His absence is noted when we miss change or their are injuries in the team," he admitted.
Atlético vs Athletic
Next up for Atlético Madrid are Athletic Bilbao this weekend and Maxi is determined to see his side go back up into the Champions League places.
"We did not expect to return from holiday and to have these two losses, but we must hold our heads up, continue ahead, and make an effort to get out of the dip in form. We must return to the league with force on Sunday and return to the Champions League positions as soon as possible," he boomed.
"We always have to go out to win, I do not know of another feeling, so the pressure is always the same. We must be relaxed and not go crazy, because then things can return in our favour."
Atlético Madrid have had a miserable start to 2009 and this has been reflected by the words of their skipper, Maxi Rodríguez.
The Argentine spoke to Marca today about the loss to Barcelona last night, and also about the defeat to Valencia at the weekend, and he summed up that the attitude has not been 'the best.'
"I do not believe we had enough respect, and we didn't fear that things could not go well," he began.
"In these games, one must have the right attitude, that things can go well or badly, and I believe they are won through more than just scoring goals, with fighting and delivering.
"The commitment has not changed a bit though, maybe just the attitude in the play. Before we played as a team and everyone was together, and perhaps, in these two games, it was not thus. This is what we tried to analyse today."
Indeed, Atlético were simply overpowered by Barcelona and Valencia, showing another sign that they are perhaps incapable of competing with the big teams for now.
Maxi doesn't buy into that theory however, and assured fans that the team know they are not playing well, and they are the ones who will fix things.
"We are the first to recognise that we are not doing well, we know we are the same team that has won fifteen games [in all competitions] but we must hold our heads up and acknowledge we have not played well," he mused.
"They were two important games, and cannot be played in the manner they were, we cannot throw away what we have done previously in just a handful of games."
Copa Over?
Worryingly for Atlético though, their participation in the Copa Del Rey looks all but over, following their 3-1 drubbing by Barcelona in the Vicente Calderón. The captain is not prepared to accept that they are out yet, but admits that it is a tough task to turn things around.
"It was a competition that we wanted to reach the end of, we wanted to get a good result at the Calderón and then fight at Barcelona, but now things are very different. We must score three goals to go through, and whilst nothing is impossible, it is obviusly very difficult," he declared.
Atlético were put to the sword chiefly by Lionel Messi, who scored a hat-trick in the victory, and whilst Maxi did have praise for him today, he was also self-critical.
"We all know Messi and we did not discover anything, when he plays well he is very difficult to stop, but if we do not do anything to try and stop him, then it is easier," he mused.
The Champions League side were without their own Argentine wonderkid, Sergio Agüero, and even though the skipper stopped short of admitting they are a one-man team, he did acknowledge his importance.
"He is very important for us and certainly if he plays the game changes, because his presence instils more respect from the opponent. His absence is noted when we miss change or their are injuries in the team," he admitted.
Atlético vs Athletic
Next up for Atlético Madrid are Athletic Bilbao this weekend and Maxi is determined to see his side go back up into the Champions League places.
"We did not expect to return from holiday and to have these two losses, but we must hold our heads up, continue ahead, and make an effort to get out of the dip in form. We must return to the league with force on Sunday and return to the Champions League positions as soon as possible," he boomed.
"We always have to go out to win, I do not know of another feeling, so the pressure is always the same. We must be relaxed and not go crazy, because then things can return in our favour."
