Atletico Madrid boss Diego Simeone has called on his players to stay humble after extending their winning run to 14 games which saw them move to the summit of the LaLiga table above rivals Real Madrid following their 1-0 win over Osasuna.
Julian Alvarez netted in the 55th minute to take Atleti’s points tally to 44, one ahead of second-placed Real — with the current winning streak as their longest across all competitions in history.
Antoine Griezmann’s short and clever corner routine to Clement Lenglet who headed down to Alvarez who slotted from close range.
“We had been talking with the guys about giving set pieces the importance it deserves. It gives us the chance to win games when its not easy,” Simeone said to the press.
“The players have done a great job in the past few months, there’s a collective effort… They know how to suffer and understand that there will be difficulties in every step.”
Atleti’s club record streak commenced with a 2-0 away win over sixth-tier side Unio Esportiva Vic in the Copa del Rey on October 31.
September’s 1-1 draw against Real Madrid, followed up by the 2-1 win against rivals Barcelona 2-1 in December thanks to a 96th minute goal from Alexander Sorloth, has put Simeone’s team firmly in the shout for the title.
“[We need] to be aware of where we are, of what the team is playing for, of what we must go through to achieve these objectives. We are not going anywhere without humility,” Simeone added.
Quizzed if his side were capable of continuing their superb form and winning a third LaLiga title under him, Simeone cautioned expectations.
“That’s very difficult to answer. I’d have to be a magician or visionary. We need to stay on track, saying anything else would be disrespectful. To repeat what we’ve done in the first half of the season, we’ll have to keep working one match at a time,” he said.
Atletico face a tough schedule in January, with six matches across three competitions in 18 days. They will face second-tier side Elche on Wednesday in the Copa del Rey and visit Leganes in LaLiga three days later.
Simeone’s side, who sit in 11th place in the Champions League with 12 points from six games, will recommence their European campaign on January 21 when they host German side Bayer Leverkusen.
