Atletico boss Simeone reveals the Arsenal star he fears most
Diego Simeone isn’t afraid of many things; top European football, being kicked by opposition players in World Cups, copious amounts of hair gel.
But there is one Arsenal player that the Atletico Madrid manager will be wary of during the Europa League semi-final first leg at the Emirates on Thursday evening.
The Argentinean, famous in England for playing his part in David Beckham’s red card for the Three Lions during the 1998 World Cup last 16 clash, has picked out Mesut Ozil as the man who could make the difference.
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Simeone takes his Atleti side to the Emirates on Thursday night looking to come away with something to take back to the Wanda Metropolitano for the second leg.
But in his pre-match press conference for the game he was full of praise for the former Real Madrid playmaker.
“Ozil has incredible vision,” he said. “He manages the speed of transitions at Arsenal – if he wants his team to play quickly he will. “It’s up to us to make it the kind of game we want to have – and be brave.”
Ozil was absent from Arsenal’s 4-1 win over West Ham due to illness at the weekend but the German World Cup winner is expected to line-up against Simeone’s men.
Simeone himself, meanwhile, has been linked with the Arsenal manager’s job, which Arsene Wenger will vacate after 22 years at the end of the season but has denied any contact with the Gunners.
