Atletico Madrid will host Real Madrid in the Madrid Derby. Ahead of the match, Llorente attended a press conference where he discussed the team's current performance, his views on the derby, Mourinho's return to Real Madrid, and also responded to recent discussions surrounding Ceuta.

I want to ask, does this derby become more interesting because Mourinho has returned to Real Madrid?

M. Llorente: Yes, I think it's clearly more interesting for you, and you can find plenty of content from previous events. But for us, it's always just football, and it doesn't matter who the opposing coach is. And personally, I didn't experience that period. So from our perspective, we're very calm about it.

For Atletico Madrid fans, there's no need to explain what the derby means to them. But for you, what does it mean to participate in this derby as an Atletico Madrid player?

It's an important match, and the opponent will always create many difficulties for you. Clearly, especially for both sets of fans, this is a very special match, and it's also a very enjoyable one. You always look forward to matches like this even more.

But in reality, it won't change anything. Sunday is just one match, and like any other match, it's only worth 3 points. So we won't get too carried away about it, but clearly, this is indeed a special match.

You had a very special summer, becoming a world champion like some of your teammates. After you returned to the team, the team started the season slightly slowly. I want to ask, how do you feel personally after these past few weeks of matches? Also, what's your opinion on the upcoming matches your team will face?

Personally, I feel very good. Both physically and mentally, I'm in good condition right now. Our break was short, and for players who went far in the World Cup, we had little time to prepare. But I think now we've recovered to 100%, or close to 100%, in terms of our performance.

I think the team is performing very well right now, and our performance is improving. New players are gradually adapting, and it's not easy to adapt to everything after arriving here. I think the team is in a good phase right now. We played very well in our last match, and the team performed well in many aspects. I hope that on Sunday, we can reach the level required for this match.

You're usually sensitive to social issues and have often been at the center of controversy. I want to know, both as a person and as a player, what is your opinion on the "Support for Ceuta" issue that has caused much impact in recent days?

Actually, I don't think I'm too concerned with topics like that. From my perspective, I support Ceuta, because that's a fact, isn't it? All Spanish people love Ceuta.

As for what others do, everyone is free to express their own opinion on things. I won't discuss things like that because I don't think it's within my scope to participate in such discussions, and I don't care. For me, as long as I know my own mind and what I think, that's enough.

It seems to be a trend now to campaign for the Ballon d'Or, either for one side or the other. Especially after Spain won the World Cup and claimed their second star in history, do you have a clear candidate in mind? Who would you give the Ballon d'Or to?

Yes, of course. I would definitely give it to a Spanish player.

I also want to ask about the function and schedule of football overall now. You just said you need to reach 100% performance, but now you have fewer and fewer breaks, and the schedule is very difficult at the start of the season, with four consecutive away matches. In this situation, is it increasingly difficult to reach the 100% performance you mentioned for every match? Additionally, do you think this long international break will help you? Will it improve players' condition? Or does it not always have that positive effect?

There's no doubt it's very difficult to reach 100% performance in every match now. Take last week as an example—we returned very late from Liverpool after a very intense match. As a result, you don't have enough time to recover to 100% before the next league match.

We have to adapt, because that's the reality. I don't know whether this new international break arrangement will be better or worse for us; we'll find out later.

But one thing is clear: there are now many matches, a lot of travel, and a lot of time spent in hotels. However, all teams face the same situation, so that can't be an excuse. The only thing we can do is adapt to modern football.

Oblak recently mentioned that football has changed, and there are now more goals because, with the current style of play, defending has also become more difficult. I want to ask, with so many goals now in matches, is it sometimes because teams take more risks when building from the back? Additionally, is the current mindset more inclined toward scoring more goals? Of course, to win, you always need to score one more goal than your opponent. But is there more of a tendency now in that direction, because everyone has to accept the fact that, from the overall football environment, teams will concede more goals?

I don't know. Do you have data to prove that there are more goals now than before? Or are matches more open now?

Yes.

Really? Weren't there many 7-0 and 8-0 results in the past?

Not 50 years ago, nothing like that.

I'm talking about 15 or 12 years ago. Personally, I don't feel there are more goals now. I don't know—as you just said, whoever scores more goals than their opponent wins. On the contrary, my feeling is that teams now are more organized defensively and tactically, so it's actually harder to break through. That's my personal feeling. As for whether there are more goals now, I don't know. You'd have to check the data to see if that's true.

Finally, back to the derby. Clearly, this is a special match. For the new players who have just joined the team, how will you convey to them what the derby means? And how do people at Atletico Madrid feel about this match, and how do the fans view the derby?

I don't think we need to explain anything to our new teammates. The Madrid Derby is watched all over the world. If you love football, even if you don't play in Spain, I think people all over the world follow this derby.

They know what this match means. As the match gets closer, they will feel this atmosphere little by little.

Once we actually arrive at the stadium, they will fully understand what the Madrid Derby is. So I think things like this don't really need to be explained by someone else; you'll naturally feel it yourself.

Diterjemahkan oleh AI.

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