Hard times for Diego

DIEGO SIMEONE has transformed Atletico Madrid during a decade in charge but admits his side are going through a “hard phase” at the halfway stage of this season.

Simeone (right), who last week marked 10 years in the dugout, has seen the La Liga champions lose four successive league games.

It’s the worst run of the Argentine boss’s tenure.

A disastrous December has all but ended their title hopes and fifth-placed Atletico host surprise packages Rayo Vallecano today.

Simeone, who won’t be on the touchline having contracted Covid, has won more matches than any other manager in the club’s history.

He said: “We’ve been suffering from our own mistakes. In the games against Mallorca, Sevilla and Granada, the team generated situations that could have led to different results. However, the reality lies in the results. This is the only thing that matters.

“Our objective has always been the same since we arrived at the club. Maintain our competitiveness, live game by game and treat every match like it’s a final. Every season has different phases.

“At the moment, we are surely going through the hardest one.” Vallecano have enjoyed a remarkable season and currently sit fourth.

Their best La Liga campaign to date was a ninth-place finish in 1999-2000. The club only secured a return to the top-tier by advancing through the Segunda Division play-offs last term.

Former Manchester United striker Radamel Falcao will miss out on the chance to face his former club following a positive Covid test but Sergi Guardiola could return.