Simeone: "Torres' display against Eibar speaks for itself"

Was Torres' 15 minute display against Eibar closer to what you want from him?

I think the images speak for themselves. That 15 minute spell was very good. He did well in pressing, in his work off the ball, he scored, and was in goal-scoring situations… What he did speaks for itself.

How important is tomorrow's game against Getafe?

It's one of the finals that we've got ahead of us. From midfield forwards, Getafe have got velocity, they're dangerous from set-pieces and good in one-on-one situations. We've got to take the game where we want it to go.

Is there a 'before and after' in Fernando Torres after your chat with him?

No. The season is long, you're faced with different situations and we try to resolves each one in the best possible way. There's no 'before and after'. There's a whole season to evaluate.

Has Jackson's departure given Torres more confidence? Do you see him able to play a full match?

Jackson left us so that we could get the best out of the players we've got for that position; Torres is more our reference in attack but Vietto can do well, Correa is growing and with Griezmann, it's an interesting mix. Physically,Torres is fine; we hope he has a good game tomorrow.

And physically, how is the team?

The team looks fine to me.

What have you been saying to the players to motivate them ahead of what looks to be a fairly accessible game?

I don't consider this game to be accessible or see us just going through the motions. We have to know what difficulties our opponents might give us, play against them with humility which is what characterizes us, so that we can extract the talent we have. Effort and hard work are the hallmarks of our identity.

After the draw against Sevilla, some commentators are rulling Atleti out of the title race. What do you think?

It's normal. We all understand what shifts newspapers and what sells and what doesn't. If I was a journalist, I'd do the same. We have to do our job knowing and understanding that.