Simeone: Falcao needs to rest well

By ESPNSTAR.com staff

Los Colchoneros won against Levante on Sunday and closed in on league leaders Barcelona, who earlier lost to Real Sociedad. The 2-0 win was marred, however, by an unfortunate injury suffered by Falcao in the 56th minute.

Simeone was happy with the performance of his team within the game but did confirm that Falcao could be out for "around 20 days."

He is now hopeful that Adrian Lopez, who scored alongside Koke in Sunday's game, will effectively spearhead Atletico's attack in the upcoming games. The Colombian hitman's absence means that Adrian will have to shoulder the goalscoring burden in matches against Real Betis and Athletic Bilbao.

"We don't know exactly what he [Falcao] has, but he is hurt. He will rest and that will serve him well," Simeone commented in the post-match press conference.

''Falcao will be a great reinforcement for us when he comes back.

"Adrian is important to us. Everyone knows what I think of him and he needs to prove he can do it on the field.

"We need his game and his level because he is a player in the final metres who can do some real damage."

The Argentinean singled out Koke, who scored Atletico's second with a delightful curler, for praise after the game. Koke was considered by many to be on the way out last year but has now solidified his place in the first team.

"Koke is playing well. He has grown a lot since we arrived and we are very confident in his game. He is an important player for us."

Atletico next take on Betis in the Copa del Rey quarter-final second leg, having earlier won the first leg 2-0 at the Vicente Calderon.