Chelsea target Falcao is irreplaceable, says Diego Simeone

Posted Sunday, September 30, 2012 by Goal.com

The Argentine coach believes the striker's absence from injury will be a blow to his side, but is hoping the rest of his squad can adapt and overcome the loss of their star man

Diego Simeone is hopeful that his Atletico Madrid side has sufficient depth to make up for the loss of Radamel Falcao after losing the Colombian forward through injury.

The striker, who has been previously linked with a move to Chelsea, will miss Sunday's match against Espanyol with a thigh problem, but Simeone remains positive that the collective group at his disposal can produce a good display without their star man.

“The objective is not to cover for Radamel’s absence,” Simeone told reporters at a press conference.

“However, we will be going there with the same mentality as we have had recently, with different players and different characteristics to Falcao, while continuing to remain competitive.

“The team is good, there is much competition internally, the players are eager to play and the intent is to enter the field with the people who can get us the best result, especially for the match that we are next preparing for."

Atleti will be facing an out of form Espanyol side who are currently joint bottom of the Liga table, but Simeone is refusing to underestimate Sunday's opponents.

“They always follow a basis similar to us, with balance, stability, and approaching every game based on the characteristics of their players and on those of their opponents," he explained.

“It is why we are changing for this game and will continue to change based on who we have available. They are a team with fewer points than they deserve, that’s for sure.”