Diego Simeone singled out Antoine Griezmann and Fernando Torres for praise after Atletico Madrid’s 3-1 win against Rayo Vallecano.
The French winger brought up his tally for the season in La Liga to double digits courtesy of his brace on Saturday, while the striker made a late cameo in place of Mario Mandzukic.
“Like the whole team, [Joao Miranda and Jose Maria Gimenez] were better in the second half,” the Coach mused after the match.
“Individually, they played well. Considering it was the first time they played together, I’m satisfied.
“I’ve been saying this since November. [Antoine Griezmann] has grown a lot and is the player we need, but I also appreciate his work for the team, as well as his goals.
“He’s proving he can play not only on the wings but anywhere in attack and can break away with his speed and talent.
“I saw [Fernando Torres] with the same enthusiasm and excitement as ever. At the [Santiago] Bernabeu, he scored twice.
“Against Barca, he did very well in the first half and had a couple of chances [against Rayo].
“Little by little, he’s finding his teammates. He’s a very difficult player to mark if you give him space.
“We needed to beat Rayo. Now we await Sevilla-Valencia, and whatever the result is, we’ll take the positives out of it. I’ll be thinking of Barcelona instead.”
