Diego Simeone sees no issues with Atletico Madrid's more conservative approach in the big games, suggesting his tactics will be similar in the second leg against Manchester City.
Atleti are aiming to overturn a 1-0 deficit when they welcome the Premier League leaders to Wanda Metropolitano on Wednesday in their Champions League quarter-final tie.
Kevin De Bruyne's second-half strike settled last week's first leg at the Etihad Stadium, where Simeone employed an extremely defensive system.
Atleti had just 29.5 per cent of possession, while only playing 297 passes to their opponents' tally of 696 as they failed to have a single effort or even win a corner.
It was the first time since 2012 that any side had not managed to have one shot in a Champions League game, while City had 15 attempts, albeit only two of them were on target.
Former Atleti coach Arrigo Sacchi criticised Simeone while City boss Pep Guardiola appeared to question his counterpart, saying that since "prehistory" it had been difficult to break down a team defending so deeply with two lines of five.
However, Simeone refused to bite, insisting he prides himself on demonstrating respect.
"I have been coaching since 2005, and I always say the same thing: I never do [comment], I am never disrespectful with colleagues of mine," he said.
"I put myself in the position of the coaches I compete against, and I understand that there are different ways of expressing what you feel as a coach.
"When someone does not appreciate a colleague, I don’t share that. Others' opinions, press, ex-players, people who haven't been in the game a long time have opinions and talk. Words are free, and we can all express an opinion.
"There are ways of acting among colleagues and I have one: respect others always, always, always."
While sticking by his ideas of how to get the best out of his team against City, Simeone did concede he is looking for more cutting edge in attack.
He added: "I am not going to get far away from what we believe in. [But] hopefully, we can combine better – have better, faster transitions, be more precise in our counter-attacks – that our most significant players can have a fantastic night.
"We will try to take the game to where we think we can hurt them. In a football match, anything can happen."
Brazil legend Marta to retire from international football
Brazil star Marta has announced she will retire from international football at the end of 2024.
The 38-year-old is the all-time highest scorer for Brazil, netting 116 goals in 175 matches for the national team.
She is also the top-scorer in the Women’s World Cup with 17 goals, finishing as a runner-up in 2007 when Brazil lost in the final to Germany.
The forward has won three Copa America Femenina titles and was part of the Brazil team that won silver medals at the 2004 and 2008 Olympics.
Marta could make her sixth appearance for Brazil at this year's Games if she is selected in the squad at the Paris 2024 Olympics.
"If I go to the Olympics, I will enjoy every moment, because, regardless of whether I go to the Olympics or not, this is my last year with the national team," Marta told CNN in an interview on Thursday.
"There will be no more Marta from 2025 in the national team as an athlete.
"I am very calm about this because I see with great optimism this development that we are having in relation to young athletes."
Al Hilal 3-1 Al Fateh: Neves on target as Saudi giants close in on title
Al Hilal moved 12 points clear of Cristiano Ronaldo's Al Nassr at the top of the Saudi Pro League as Ruben Neves scored in a 3-1 win over Al Fateh on Friday.
Former Wolves star Neves slotted in from the penalty spot in the 74th minute, as Al Hilal completed a rapid comeback.
Having fallen behind to Lucas Zelarayan's 57th-minute opener, Al Hilal responded swiftly through Micheal before Salem Al Najdi fouled Mohammed Al Qahtani in the penalty area.
Ex-Barcelona winger Cristian Trello and Al Fateh coach Slaven Bilic were booked for their complaints, with Neves making no mistake, paving the way for Ali Al Bulayhi to seal victory in the 15th minute of an extended period of stoppage time.
Data Debrief
Al Hilal have now won 21 games on the spin in the league. They have scored 86 goals across their 28 matches this season, winning 26 in total.
They had 19 shots on Friday, accumulating 2.34 xG to Al Fateh's 0.25, with pass-master Neves creating three chances to go along with his goal.
RFEF elects Rocha as new president
The Spanish Football Federation (RFEF) has confirmed Pedro Rocha as its new president.
Rocha has been elected as Luis Rubiales' replacement, despite being under investigation for corruption.
He had been serving as interim president since Rubiales resigned in September over the scandal caused when he kissed player Jenni Hermoso following Spain's Women's World Cup triumph in August.
In a statement released on Friday, the RFEF said: "Pedro Rocha has today been proclaimed the new president of the Royal Spanish Football Federation (RFEF), after having received the support of the majority of the assembly members of this institution that governs Spanish football.
"The process followed the procedure agreed by the Electoral Commission, which met this morning, and the timetable that was established for these elections."
Rocha has been under investigation since earlier in April, after the RFEF's headquarters was raided by police last month. The Spanish government announced on Thursday that it would be stepping in to oversee the running of the organisation.
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