Simeone on the warpath: "Atlético has got to be feisty"

Taking charge at Atlético Madrid is rarely an easy moment for any coach. After a calamitous autumn of exasperating inconsistency in the league, farcical elimination from the King's Cup at the hands of third-tier opposition, a crisis amongst the club's management and the habitual financial chaos by the River Manzanares, former club player Diego Pablo Simeone, "el Cholo," tried to bring a message of hope and defiance to his official presentation as Gregorio Manzano's replacement on Tuesday.

Appealing directly to the players' "pride," the once-feared midfielder painted a warlike image of the Atlético he hopes to steer back onto the straight and narrow. "What I would love to see is a strong team, feisty and counterattacking... Just what all us Atléticos identify with. That's our history. To do that we have to shore up the weaknesses the team has shown, and continue to build on the good things that have been done. I don't believe it has been all bad. That's why the first thing I will do is talk to the team."

El Cholo refused to comment on the future of José Antonio Reyes, the unsettled former Arsenal and Real Madrid forward whom Atlético tried to offload last summer. "We've been talking over the past days so let's see what happens with him. There are also other important players such as Diego, Falcao, Adrián and Arda... My wish is to work with those players who want to be at the club."

About the situation of Atlético, 10th in La Liga with a defense that has often looked soft and an offense which has rarely fired away from home, the man who left Argentinean club Racing de Avellanada to move to Madrid said: "I have always tried to be realistic and live day by day. Right now, the most important thing for Atlético is the match against Málaga. There is nothing beyond that. I live in reality and not a fantasy land, and the reality is the game against Málaga. Our need is total and we have to feel a sense of belonging, of emotion toward our colors."

"Sense of optimism"

As a coach in Argentina, Simeone has won an Apertura tournament with Estudiantes and a Clausura during his time in charge of River Plate, besides leading Catania to its best-ever finish in the Italian league.

The president of Atlético Madrid, Enrique Cerezo, said of Simeone's return to the Vicente Calderón: "I had the good fortune to say farewell to Diego as an Atlético player and now I have the luck to welcome him back as coach. He brings a sense of optimism because his time here was a glorious one, the time of the [1996 league and cup] double. So we look to his great character to take this team where it should be. With him we are going to escape from the current situation."