Diego Simeone Claims Atleti's Ninth 1-0 Win of Season is a 'Virtue' After Deportivo Victory
Diego Simeone insisted his side's ability to repeatedly claim victory with a single goal is a "virtue" following their 1-0 win over Deportivo La Coruna on Sunday evening.
Kevin Gameiro settled the tie from the penalty spot shortly after the half-hour mark; cutting Barcelona's lead at the top of LaLiga to nine points.
And the Argentine manager told Marca he believes their one-goal victory - Atleti's ninth of the season - deserved credit.
"It's true that we've won a lot of matches 1-0, but it's a virtue", Simeone explained in his post-match press conference.
"We had difficulties with suspended players, but we responded with the result. The first half was better than the second. On other occasions we've faced a team fighting relegation and failed to close the result."
Lucas Hernandez's last-ditch tackle as Depor looked to break on the counter-attack was the highlight of the second-half, and it was something that did not go unnoticed by Simeone.
"It was similar to the one [Stefan] Savic did against [Cedric] Bakambu", he stated. "Lucas is a physical prodigy, with a great ability for spectacular actions.
"He's in a very good moment right now, he's developing and learning, he's crucial to us."
Despite closing the gap to nine at the top of LaLiga after Barcelona could only salvage a draw against Sevilla on Saturday, the Wanda Metropolitano coach remained coy and insisted he is merely focusing solely on what his side can do this season.
"We're putting together a very strong season in LaLiga", Simeone added. "You saw 60 minutes of Barcelona without Lionel Messi, and then you saw the difference with him.
"We have to keep looking forward and improving on our numbers from last season, we'll see what happens."
Atleti's next clash comes in the shape of the Madrid derby, which takes place next Sunday.
