Monday, 20th October, 2014
Arda Turan has defended Atletico Madrid’s playing style and said that their only intention is to play winning football.
Atletico Madrid enjoyed one of the most successful seasons in their history last term when they won La Liga and made it through to the Champions League final. They also won the Spanish Super Cup this term when they beat their arch rivals Real Madrid.
Despite all their success, the club’s critics have always attacked their style of football that is based on robust defending and quick counter attacks.
“Our football might not be pretty, but it’s winning football”, Turan told FIFA.
The Turkish international feels that Atletico Madrid are playing the style of football that suits their personnel and added that they don’t have the superstars in their team so they need to work harder on the team’s strengths.
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“Sometimes, the teams playing the nicest football don’t win games or titles. Certainly there are times when we’d like to have more of the ball, but we don’t have Cristiano Ronaldo or Lionel Messi in our side, so we have to be a real team and work hard.
“We need to defend more than [Real] Madrid or Barcelona, but that style has made us champions.”
Turan added that he likes the way Barcelona or Bayern Munich play their football, but prefers Atletico Madrid’s more robust playing style that made them champions last season.
“I respect everyone’s right to an opinion, and I too enjoy the football played by the likes of Barça or Bayern Munich. However, I prefer our own style more.”
Atletico Madrid are currently fifth in the league table and are five points off the pace from league leaders Barcelona.
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