Diego Simeone, head coach of Atlético Madrid, has explained why Super Eagles forward Ademola Lookman was introduced from the bench during their 4–1 win over Club Brugge, reports Nigeriasoccernet.com.
Lookman had started in the first leg at the Jan Breydelstadion, where he scored the second goal in a thrilling 3–3 draw. Despite scoring again in Atletico’s recent league win over Espanyol, the 28-year-old began on the bench for the return leg against Ivan Leko’s side, coming on in the final 20 minutes when Atletico were already 2–1 ahead at the Wanda Metropolitano.
Once on the pitch, Lookman immediately made an impact, combining in a one-two with Antoine Griezmann before setting up Alexander Sørloth, who completed a hat-trick.
Simeone revealed that the decision to bench Lookman was part of a strategy to maximize the team’s chances of victory while managing player workload. “The feeling that was in the air. They were attacking to win, and we were attacking for what, to keep up with them? That’s what we talked about: we had to increase the intensity of our pressing and be more decisive in our attacking positioning,” the Argentine coach said, according to quotes shared by Into the Calderon.
He added, “After Johnny’s goal, which opened the way for us, and with the changes. It wasn’t easy to leave Lookman and Griezmann out. Julián [Alvarez] had been playing well lately. You have to make decisions, and I’m excited to see that those who come on do so in a way that supports the thinking. It was difficult for us; it’s not easy to decide. Complaints? Not at all, because there’s nothing you can do about it. Be prepared to perform, try to rotate, or rather, manage it better. Sometimes it will go wrong, other times we’ll get it right. I have to manage it, and we will try to get the best out of it for the club.”
The La Liga-winning coach concluded by emphasizing the importance of balancing performance and squad rotation to maintain consistency and achieve the best results for Atletico Madrid.