London - Arabstoday
Lazio coach Edy Reja says he had handed in his resignation before his side\'s 1-0 defeat to Atletico Madrid that confirmed their elimination from the UEFA Europa League 4-1 on aggregate. Reja offered his resignation before travelling to Madrid but said he had done the right thing by leading the team and hopes a decision will be taken tomorrow. He said: \"I have taken my decision, now I will return to Rome and wait for the club\'s response. \"I think I have behaved correctly, I came here to take part in a very important competition where my presence was needed and it has been an act of dignity because I love the club. \"Tomorrow a clear decision will be made. There have to be consequences from the decision but nothing has yet been ruled out. We know the problems that we have but I want to thank the fans for all the support they have given me.\" Simeone happy with Atletico Atletico Madrid manager Diego Simeone, meanwhile, was happy with the performances of Paulo Assuncao, Eduardo Salvio and Alvaro Dominguez after they were handed rare starts. But he denied their selection representing resting his major players ahead of the league encounter with Barcelona on Sunday. \"Today we responded as a group and as a team,\" he said. \"This was the most important factor in the match. We played a great game in Rome and today we had to play with concentration. \"Salvio gives us more speed and directness. The team I chose was only thinking about what we needed in this match, it was the best team I could put out today.\" The Argentine also admitted to not knowing too much about Atleti\'s next opponents in the Europa League, Besiktas, but insisted that ties against Turkish sides are always difficult. \"They will be a difficult, strong and aggressive side, Turkish teams always are,\" he continued. \"The tie will be very well balanced and we have to prepare in the best way possible to face a strong opponent.\"