No Winter Signings, Maniche Speaks, and Atlético Begin Hardcore Training

By: Al | December 30th, 2008

‘Cause we don’t need them, according to club president Enrique Cerezo.

“I said in October that we wouldn’t bring anyone this winter. We have a roster that many think is a bit small, but we believe that’s important. The team is united and we don’t need any other player in these moments.”

Good point, but what happened to wanting a Champions League-quality left back? Arbeloa was the name thrown around for the longest time but any shot of that won’t be until the summer.

Recreativo Huelva want Nacho Camacho, the club probably impressed after he netted two past them last season. Nacho is probably feeling left out considering that he’s fighting for a place with Maniche, Assunçao, Raúl García and Banega. A loan could work, but there’s much potential in this kid and our midfield is very stacked. He’s still 18 and he needs football, so a loan would be beneficial for him and for Recre, who are desperate for a good player.

Maniche Speaks

The funny-cheeked Portuguese Maniche has repeated that he wants to stay at Atlético and is looking for a contract extension. Maniche said “I don’t listen to offers and I want to stay. I like the city, I’m in a club with charisma and I feel loved. The only idea that I have is to stay. We’re in negotiations and we hope to arrive at a satisfactory conclusion so I can continue.” Damn this guy wants to stay.

Maniche also commented on the matchup with Porto in the Champions League. “I will be their enemy, but I hope to be well-received at O Dragao. At Porto I learned much and I won it all, but right now I’m thinking of nothing else aside from going through the next round. Atlético is in a good moment and we’re qualified enough to defeat a team as strong as Porto.”

Maniche on Scolari (The Gene Hackman): “He wasn’t honest with me. He told me one thing then did another. He told me that he counted on me, but in the last minute he changed his decision without giving an explanation.”

Atlético have begun training in Segovia and have made a clear objective of completing 7 training sessions in 4 days, to grind out all that [insert your favorite Spanish dish] out of their bellies. Aguirre’s priority is for the players to feel more united and told them to spend time together outside of the pitch.

Aguero and Maxi are suffering minor muscle problems and missed the second training session but will still feature against Valencia this weekend. Seitaridis will also be available this weekend after being out for a few matches. Ever Banega also made it to the training session after visa problems delayed his ability to travel back to Madrid (phew).

With matches against Valencia and Barcelona coming up, two teams with great chemistry, Atlético must function as a true team in order for any result against these teams.

January will be difficult, and getting through it with successes will give the team a good sense of confidence needed for a very grueling rest of the season.