Simeone: "We're working with Diego Costa to fix what is an unusual situation for him"
Simeone faced reporters before Atlético flew out to Mallorca. "Like I've always said, when Morata and Diego are both at the best, they'll play together".
Atlético de Madrid coach Diego Pablo Simeone faced reporters after this morning's training session as his side gear up to take on Mallorca at Son Moix tomorrow.
Why isn't Vitolo getting into the starting XI? "The numbers speak for themselves. All of the players have played, the only one who hasn't is [Santiago] Arias".
You have received quite a bit of criticism lately, have the demands increased? "No, because I know the people at Atleti and how demanding they are so I am not surprised at all".
El Cholo focused on Mallorca
Were you surprised that there was no Atlético player up for the Men's awards at The Best? "No, I'm too busy thinking about the Mallorca game".
João, Morata, Costa... all three are available again: "When Álvaro and Diego are fully fit they will have a good chance of playing together; they bring physical strength, increase our chances of scoring goals and open the possibility of other players coming in to play just behind them. Álvaro is playing at the moment, Diego has been playing quite often and we hope to have both of them at their best so they can play together".
Diego Costa: "For a forward, it's worrying when they don't find situations in which they have the chance to score. We've been working a lot with Diego in how he himself feels about and how we think he can improve. It's an individual issue rather than a team one and we're hoping to fix a situation which is unusual for a player like him".
Atlético in the process of improving
Are you happy with the team? "We're working on it. We had a very good pre-season, a decent start to the campaign. We didn't have a good first half in San Sebastián and against Celta we looked a little lost for a large part of the first half but I can see that the team has got some kind of rhythm. We finished the game much better than Celta did and that's encouraging going into tomorrow's game against Mallorca. It's going to be difficult for us. LaLiga is showing that there are no easy games for anyone and we are still very much a team under construction".
Saúl under-fire: "For its very nature, journalism is critical - and it has to be to provoke opinions and debate. You [the media] write about what you see, what you feel - some more severe in their criticism than others, some with a great capacity and some who are looking to cause divisions within the team. We always need criticism. You win 3-7 and you get criticised, you win 1-0 and you get criticised... I never stop to think that you, the media, treat us any differently to other clubs. And that's why, for the critics, I think that every day there is an even greater need to win".
Keys to tomorrow's game in Mallorca: "We are going to be up against a side who will need to set a high tempo - especially at the start of the game. They've got some decent players on both wings - especially on the left. They'll be excited about facing Atleti. We have to understand that LaLiga is difficult for every team and the only way to win a game is by having every player give the maximum of themselves".