Inch by inch. Atletico added another point in the league and is nearing its goal. Although they could nt get the win, Simeone was not disappointed with the outcome of the game against Valencia. "It’s always important to pick up points. The distance they remain behind us is the same. If you can not win the next step is to draw," he said.

It was the technical assessment of a game that he summed up this way. "The first half Valencia played very well. They are a team that has a very god squad, as they have had for years. They are competitive, balanced, and talented and they played well in the first half. We were not at our best in the first half but we were fortunate to create danger. We quickly replied to their goal with one of our own. In the second half we played closer to the game we wanted to do to win. The changes they made in the second half reflect that the game was going in our favour."

Simeone made only a substitute for the injured Arda. The technician was happy with those who were on the pitch and thought they were the right players to find the three points. "I saw no other possibility to enter the game that was being played. Great intensity and balance. In the second half we were better and understood that the game was going our way," he said.

After the break, the difference between the two contenders remains at 15 points. Figures which weren’t evident on the pitch at the Vicente Calderón Stadium. "They have competed in the Champions League. They have one of the best squads in Spain after Real Madrid and Barcelona. This is football. It is a game and the players of Atletico have brought together a great squad. We can’t question them in terms of effort and commitment. We have nothing bad to say to the lads," said Simeone.