Koke expects Simeone to stay as Atletico coach

Atletico Madrid's Spain international midfielder Jorge Resurreccion 'Koke' stressed on Monday how important it was for Diego Simeone to remain as coach of the football club.

The disappointment of losing on penalties to Real Madrid in the Champions League final in May, two years after they had lost the 2014 final to their neighbours in Lisbon, appeared to hit Simeone especially hard and he said afterwards that he would need time to think about his future, reports Xinhua.

Simeone has still to commit himself publicly to coaching Atletico next season, although he recently posted a tweet in which he said he was "working from Buenos Aires", something Koke welcomes.

"It is fundamental Simeone remains with us, he helps to give us a lot of calm," he said in an interview on Spanish radio station, Cadena Cope.

The midfielder, who is currently on international duty with Spain in the European Championship, added that he had "no doubt", that Simeone would get over the disappointment of the Champions League defeat.

"It's normal for him to be thinking about things. We have been competing at the maximum level for four years and that is tiring," said Koke.

"We had a spectacular season, we lost the final and it is normal for that to make you consider your future, but I think the boss (Simeone) has been clear about what he wants from the start," he said, although he admitted the two final defeats "are not something you forget, because they leave their mark on you forever."

--IANS

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