Jan Oblak, the Atletico Madrid goalkeeper, spoke about the situation of his team-mate Julian Alvarez, ahead of the Spanish capital derby against Real Madrid the day after tomorrow, Sunday, in the top clash of the seventh round of La Liga.
Marca newspaper published Oblak's comments, in which he said: "The players and the leaders have treated Julian Alvarez's situation as something that is now in the past. He is with us at the moment and we support him."
The Slovenian went on: "Alvarez is giving the maximum he has. He has already played some matches and given everything he could. I am certain that, as long as he remains here, he will give 100% of his level with great dedication, and he will do everything he can for this club and to achieve the best possible results."
He noted: "We put in a very good performance in the recent matches, and especially the last match, where we played well. But we are at the start of the season, there are players absent, new players have joined, and the team is still in the process of being built."
Oblak was adamant that Sunday would not define the campaign. "I don't think the derby will change the course of Atleti's season. Since the very first derby, the objective has always been to win. You give everything you have on the pitch, and you go into the match with the desire to offer the best you can and to help the team, and this time will be no different."
On the wider game, the goalkeeper explained: "Football is changing in general. Conceding goals or scoring them has become different from what it was several years ago. Previously, teams defended better, and some teams did not have the same attacking power. The Spanish league is difficult, and the way it is played has become different from what it was before."
His side have tightened up at the back, and he wants that to continue. "I hope we continue the run of matches in which we don't concede goals, but teams now know how to find the spaces they were not able to exploit before."
Praise followed for a club stalwart. "Koke is a legend of this club, and he continues to prove it. He plays because of what he offers, and not because he is Koke or because he has played a large number of matches, but because of the way he trains every day."
He concluded: "We will try to win the La Liga title. We are competing against big teams such as Real Madrid and Barcelona, as well as Athletic Bilbao, Villarreal and Real Betis... but in every year we take part, we want to win. We are not fighting to secure one of the top four places, we want the title."
You can discuss topics and news in greater depth in the Kooora forums