Diego Simeone has reiterated that in terms of available funds, his Atletico Madrid side are way behind the Clasico clubs.
The Colchoneros claimed an amazing title victory last time out, thanks to a final day draw at Camp Nou against Barcelona.
But having signed the likes of Luis Suarez and James Rodriguez, the Argentine tactician has insisted that Real Madrid and the Blaugrana are better than ever.
“Atletico are not like Barcelona and Real Madrid. They have a structure that allows them to spend €80 million on one player, while we have spent about €100m in total,” he told Gazzetta dello Sport.
“Lionel Messi, Luis Suarez and Neymar are three of the five best players in the world. Barcelona signed Suarez and Ivan Rakitic, while selling Alexis Sanchez and Cesc Fabregas. They have improved.
“And then there's Madrid. They signed Toni Kroos and James Rodriguez, while Gareth Bale will be even stronger than last season. They are better than last year, too, and quite a bit.
“It will be hard for us to compete with them. It's easy to understand that people wonder whether we can repeat last year's success.
“We should remember that it had been 18 years since the last title. What happened last term was something special.
“Atletico are champions, but the players aren't the same. We're in a different league than Madrid and Barca.”
