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| Monday, 08 February 2010 19:48 |
Tiago: I want to stay at AtleticoMidfielder settling in Spain Portuguese international Tiago Mendes has indicated that he would like to make his loan move from Juventus to Atletico Madrid permanent at the end of the season.
The 28-year-old moved to the Spanish capital last month having struggled for playing time at the Stadio Olimpico. Tiago has adapted quickly to his new surroundings, already securing a place in the Atletico midfield and earning the praise of manager Quique Sanchez Flores. “It is a bit early to talk about the future, but I would like to stay here,” admitted the former Benfica man. “Let’s see if Juventus and Atletico have a lot to talk about, but I would like to stay. I am playing a lot more and this is a positive thing. “It is good to feel the confidence of the coach, so I can play in a more relaxed way. I am very pleased. I came here to play and to help Atletico so I’m fine. “The praise from the coach? For me, it’s a little embarrassing. I don’t really like it when a coach speaks a lot about me, but obviously it’s very good. This is a young team and I have a little more experience than some of the players here. So I talk with them and help them along.” Tiago played the full ninety minutes as Atletico drew 1-1 at Racing Santander on Sunday. It was the second of three matches against Racing in the space of a week, with Tiago’s men taking a 4-0 lead to Cantabria for the second leg of their Copa Del Rey semi-final on Tuesday, following a convincing win at the Vicente Calderon last week. “We played better and are improving. It was not an easy game after we beat them 4-0 here. It was a game in a very difficult environment and we’re pleased to have a point more,” he said. “We can move up to the top end of the table. We had one major target to reach the cup final. We are almost there and in the league there is still a long way to go. We must reach the Europa League places at least.” By Sean Gillen Keep up to date with all the latest news on Portuguese football with the new PortuGOAL Twitter! Add your comment |
