Simeone hails Atleti´s dirty work after Mallorca win

Atletico Madrid coach Diego Simeone was proud of how his players dug deep to earn their fourth straight win in all competitions, beating Real Mallorca 1-0 in LaLiga.

Julian Alvarez scored for the seventh time since his arrival from Manchester City as Los Colchoneros earned a hard-fought away win on Sunday.

The win took them third in the table, just one point behind second-placed Real Madrid and seven behind leaders Barcelona.

Simeone said his side had not let Wednesday’s last-gasp 2-1 win over Paris-Saint Germain in the Champions League go to their heads as he praised their defensive work.

“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 said at a post-match 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 heaped particular praise on Alvarez, adding: “I don’t follow their numbers and I don’t care about it but I love him.

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“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.

“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, then in LaLiga against Las Palmas, at PSG on Wednesday and today once again we gave joy to our fans, which is what it’s all about.”