Sanchez Flores urges united approach

Atletico Madrid manager Quique Sanchez Flores says he will do everything he can to improve the club’s league position.

Sanchez Flores was speaking after Atletico slumped to a 2-1 home defeat to Valencia, despite taking a third-minute lead.

A Joaquin double saw Valencia move to third with the win, with Atletico, who won the Europa League and European Super Cup within four months in 2010, struggling in eighth, just two points about 11th-placed Mallorca.

“I feel stronger than ever. I will use all my strength to pull us out this quagmire and will do all I can to take us forward,” Sanchez Flores told Marca.

“The result is not consistent with what has been done but the situation is. It’s negative and all very much against us, but every day I have more strength and I feel better than last week. ”

The 46-year-old manager insists the club must remain united during this difficult period and said the best thing was to keep him in charge.

“I worry about the mood of the 25 guys who train and find no fruit in their work. I understand greed and the need for news, but the best thing for the club now is not a dismissal, it is to stay united,” he said.

Sanchez Flores, who is under increasing pressure to keep his job with Atletico having won just one of their last 10 matches, knows all three points at mid-table Real Zaragoza next Saturday are vital.