2 October 2007, by Sean Gillen

Rejuvenated Maniche targets second Uefa Cup triumph

Atletico Madrid star happy to be back to his best

Atletico Madrid midfielder Maniche says he is happy with the way things are going at the club, and challenged his team-mates to win the Uefa Cup and secure a top four finish in La Liga.

After an unconvincing start to the new campaign, Atletico have now won three matches in a row in all competitions, including scoring six goals without reply in their last two games in the league.

“We’re happy because I think that we’re playing well and we’re also getting results,” said the former Porto midfielder after Atletico’s Monday training session.

“We have to continue along this line and think match to match. We have to remain focused and play. The team is very serious and mentally prepared; we can have a great season.

“We want to make it to the final of the UEFA Cup and win it. We know that we have lots of matches ahead. We have to play seriously and make a strong commitment. There’s nothing to talk about, we have to play to be amongst the top four.”

On an individual level, Maniche has been a key part of Atletico’s recent good form, and his partnership in midfield with summer recruit Raul Garcia has been a notable aspect of the team’s play.

Confidence high

“Personally, I feel fine. I’m happy,” he said. “I always try to play well and now I feel more confident and more committed, along with everybody else. Playing alongside Raul is really easy and we read each other well, but a team isn’t made by two players. Every one of us contributes our grain of sand.”

This weekend sees a major test for Los Rojiblancos, with a trip to the Camp Nou to face Barcelona on Sunday evening, but Maniche sees no reason why Atletico cannot carry their good form into the match.

“Each match is different. We’re playing well at the moment and we have to take advantage of it. We know that we can play a great game at Camp Nou. We’re worried about all of the Barcelona players because they’re great professionals. I think that it will be an even match.

“We are very happy with the support we are getting from our fans. They, like us, always want to win, and now we’re doing just that. We hope to give them lots of things to be happy about.”


Related: Maniche PortuGOAL profile