Atletico Madrid manager Diego Simeone said he was proud of how his players fought and dug deep to earn a 1-0 win at Mallorca in La Liga on Sunday and secure their fourth consecutive triumph in all competitions.
Simeone said his side had not let Wednesday’s last-gasp 2-1 win at Paris St Germain in the Champions League go to its heads and had stuck to the defensive gameplan against Mallorca.
“The players made a huge effort and worked hard after our game in Paris; it wasn’t easy to get away from all the praise they got and work with humility to defend all the crosses that Mallorca make in every game,” Simeone told a press conference.
“In football you always live for today, as in life; what came before, what you enjoyed yourself, what you did... they are just memories. You have to deliver it here and now, it’s the reality of life, the day to day.
“In the first half we lacked more collective play, in the second half it was different, we competed better in the opposition’s half and after the goal we had our chances to go out with a bigger win.”
Simeone said he was happy with forward Julian Alvarez not only for netting the winner but for his overall performance as the Argentinian was gelling in the team, scoring his sixth goal after signing from Manchester City in August in a deal worth some 75 million euros plus 20 million euros in potential add-ons.
“I don’t follow their numbers and I don’t care about it but I love him, he has personality, class, humility, hard work and goals. Let’s hope he continues in this vein of form because that’s what we were hoping for,” Simeone said.
“I don’t dwell on results but in the last few games I can see a clear idea. We won a Copa del Rey match at Vic, in La Liga against Las Palmas, at PSG on Wednesday and today once again we gave joy to our fans, which is what it’s all about.”
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