AS.com

Atlético Madrid boss Diego Simeone spoke after his side's comfortable 3-0 win at Real Valladolid, and was full of praise for his players' performance as 'los colchoneros' ended a winless away run stretching back to November.

Before the game, you talked about a team that had lost its soul...

We hadn't lost it. We had a bad first half against Rayo Vallecano and against Rubin Kazan we made things difficult for ourselves. I'm proud of my team; it's a team of men. It's a group of players who know what they can do. It was one our best performances of the season.

The third goal was a prime example of the team's constant desire to hurt Valladolid.

Yes, I agree. The goal that 'Cebolla' scored, with the help of Raúl García, demonstrated that the players put the team's interests before their individual concerns. When they do that, I can't see things going wrong for us.

What was the key to the victory?

We were on top for the whole 90 minutes. Normally there is a period in which your opponent gets back into the game and puts the result in doubt, but that didn't happen. There was never any doubt about who was going to win, and we were the better side throughout the game.

Did you make any tactical adjustments for this game?

Yes. We talked about the changes in the dressing room during the week, and the players carried them out perfectly.

Was it a win you needed?

Yes, and my players showed a lot of character.