Spanish international Dani Olmo, Barcelona’s playmaker, emphasised the importance of the three points the team secured against Atlético Madrid with a 2-1 victory on Saturday at the Metropolitano Stadium, in the 30th round of La Liga, noting that the mentality shown by the players was key to coming back from behind and turning a deficit into a victory.
Olmo said in post-match comments: “It’s not the first time we’ve come from behind; we stayed calm, imposed our rhythm and played our style… They dropped back, and we managed to score.”
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He added regarding the La Liga standings: “We’ve pulled further clear at the top (from Real Madrid), and the gap is now seven points, which is a significant margin… We’re relying on ourselves, but it’s not decided yet… We’re now focusing on Wednesday’s match (against Atlético in the Champions League), which will be very important and completely different.”
On his physical condition and his tactical deployment by manager Hansi Flick, Olmo said: “I felt I was in good shape and comfortable… Hansi knows me well, and he knows where I can perform at my best.”
On the refereeing incident involving his teammate Gerard Martín, who was shown a red card by the referee before it was rescinded following a VAR review, he said: “There was clearly contact, but I don’t think it was strong enough to warrant a red card… In the end, Almada (the Atlético player) was walking around after about 10 to 15 seconds and didn’t seem to be in pain, so I think the decision was correct.”