Simeone: 'The winners are those who recover fastest from bad spells'

Simeone was asked about the top of LaLiga, with three teams separated by three points. The coach avoided talking about his rivals and instead offered a reflection on what it takes to compete for the title.

With the final question, a journalist recalled that a few weeks ago Barça looked unbeatable and Real Madrid seemed on the brink of collapse, and that the momentum had since shifted. At Atlético, he added, the same ups and downs are felt too: when things go well, the team should aim for everything, and when they go badly, everything should be torn down. How do you manage that?

Simeone did not want to focus on other teams. "I don't want to focus on other teams. We will go through good, bad and average moments, because that's life. A lot happens over the course of a season, and those who manage to get out of difficult moments the fastest will be the ones who end up competing to win it," he said.

On Hjulmand, he said: "He is working hard and competing with players like Koke, Barrios and Cardoso, who are doing very well. Mendoza and Obed can also help us in that position. He has personality, we need the best version of him, I see him committed to keep growing and improving, and that is the way for him to reach the point where he gives the team his best."

Two matches against Barcelona in 15 days. "It has been done this way every year, bringing matches forward because of the Spanish Super Cup, so I don't see it as complicated. It's a situation caused by such a packed calendar, and we'll play whenever we have to."

On Arnau and Lookman's form: "He is working with a lot of enthusiasm, he's young, and the step up from where he was to where he is now isn't easy. He has teammates competing for a place, like Lookman, who, although he isn't at the level he showed us when he arrived, we have a lot of faith in, and we know what he can give us. It's about showing the coach his progress in training so he can then get opportunities."

On the team's current form, Simeone said: "It's very hard to reach 100%, but to get where we want to go, that 100% isn't enough, we need more. It will depend on how we manage substitutions, the physical effort... We need to put in a big performance against an opponent who does very well at home, has pace in attack and a very good collective defensive effort."