Simeone warns against complacency versus Cordoba

Diego Simeone has urged Atletico Madrid to stay focused as they seek a third straight La Liga win when hosting Cordoba.

The title holders are in good spirits following a 2-0 victory over Espanyol and a 1-0 triumph at Getafe in domestic action.

In between, Atletico also crushed Malmo 5-0 in the UEFA Champions League.

Cordoba are in the relegation zone after picking up just five points from nine games, but Simeone insists there is no room for complacency on Saturday.

“We will have a very difficult match versus Cordoba,” he said. “We need to carry on working the way we are and trying our best the way we know how, so we can stay up in the table.”

Real Madrid’s win over Barcelona allowed Atletico to close to within two points of the summit and Simeone is happy with their progress in recent weeks.

“I think we are improving with regards to the amount of possession we have had,” he added. “We had the ball for a lot of time versus Sevilla [ in a 4-0 win], Malmo and Getafe.

“We are also spending more time in the opposition’s half, our defence is doing very well and we are improving.

“We obviously depend on players such as Koke, (Antoine) Griezmann, Arda (Turan) and the wingers to go forward. We need to make the best of (Mario) Mandzukic, too, as he is our main focal point in the forward line.”