Simeone backs Lookman: "He has to keep trying"

Simeone weighs up the contrast between Lookman, who is not at his best, and an in-form Álex Baena. He urges the Nigerian to keep trying because he has goals in him, and sees Baena full of confidence after an inconsistent, injury-hit first year.

A Radio Marca journalist puts to Simeone the contrast between two players: Lookman arrived like a shot last year and is now struggling to get going, while Álex Baena, who struggled in his first season, has started this one in flying form.

The coach replies that it all depends on where each player is at: nobody stays at a ten all the time, and there are always dips. He admits that Lookman is not where he wants him to be, nor where the coaching staff want to see him, but points out that he has already proved himself and works every day to get back to his best. Simeone asks him to keep being himself: he is a dribbler, he needs to dribble, lose the ball and keep trying, because he will do well, because he has it in him and because he has goals in him.

Of Baena, he says he comes from a different context: an injury-hit first season that was inconsistent compared with what he would have liked to give, followed by a World Cup that has given him confidence, self-assurance and a great run of form. The coach's job, he concludes, is to manage each player's best moments for the benefit of the team.