Atleti squad backing Simeone – Carrasco

Yannick Carrasco insists the Atletico Madrid players are sticking by head coach Diego Simeone despite their disappointing start to the season.

Atleti have competed with Barcelona and rivals Real Madrid for the Liga title in recent years, but are languishing in sixth place this term.

However, Carrasco is adamant nothing has changed between the squad and Simeone – and the Argentine retains their respect.

“I always see [Simeone] the same,” he told Marca. “He is a winner and has made the team united. He is with us and we are with him.”

And Carrasco also put off talk of a crisis, claiming there is time for Atleti to recover their campaign.

“Everyone talks of crisis but, for me, this is not a crisis,” he said. “These things can happen, it is normal that we sometimes have bad times because the team has always been at a very high level.

“It is true that we are not where we want to be, but the season is still long and there are many games to get to where we want to be.

“In the Champions League, we have been top of the group ahead of Bayern [Munich], so we must be positive.”