Simeone: "Possession isn't important, creating chances is"

UD Las Palmas saw more of the ball than hosts Atlético in today's game at the Calderón (65% possession for Quique Setién's side) but Diego Simeone told reporters afterwards that the game turned out exactly as he had planned.

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Great year

What are your thoughts on the game - Atleti's last league outing of 2016?

We are bringing what has been an extraordinary year to a close. Bearing mind where we have come from - the team put in a sublime Champions League campaign,and in this season's edition we ended top of our group; we're off to a good start in the Copa... It's true to say that we have lacked consistency in LaLiga this season but we have had a year which will go down in club history. I'm sure the fans will be happy with how the year has gone. When the clock strikes 12 on New Year's Eve, I will raise a glass to the team and the year we have had

But what are your thoughts on today's game against Las Palmas?

I saw my team put in a very complete performance. We had a lot of chances on goal in the first half. Las Palmas had a lot of possession of the ball - and obviously they wanted to punish us. But having possession isn't important - creating opportunities to score is. The team played exactly how we imagined they would. I thought we responded well to their attacks, and 1-0 is a fair result.

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So you expected Las Palmas to have more possesion?

They play the ball around well and are good playing between lines. We have players with pace, who are adept at playing in confined spaces. It's just a shame that we couldn't have put away more of the chances we had.

Real Sociedad's Technical Secretary Roberto Olabe was seen in the stands, will anyone be leaving next month?

I've no idea. All I know is that there will be chances for everyone in the New Year - we're counting on all of the players for the league, Champions League and Copa.