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Spain: La Liga Race Tightens After Barca, Atleti Draw
- Football Espana, Monday, January 20, 2014 12:28 PM
The gap between the top three in Spain’s La Liga is now just one point after Barcelona and Atletico Madrid both drew 1-1 against Levante and Sevilla, respectively, this weekend, while Real Madrid thumped Real Betis 5-0 in Seville. Despite dropping points, Barcelona coach Gerardo Martino and Atleti’s Diego Simeone were philosophical.
“As far as our finishing was concerned, it wasn’t our best day,” Martino said after the draw in Valencia. “It’s not worrying for the future when you consider that at the start of the season, we were winning without playing well. Now, what is happening to us is the exact opposite. The result is a little negative because it doesn’t reflect the game we put in. I would be more worried if our game had deteriorated but this draw isn’t a big worry because out of the next 10 games, we will win nine.”
Simeone, meanwhile, said his Rojiblancos got the game they expected at home to Sevilla. When asked if his team was suffering from fatigue, the Argentine replied: “I don’t think so. It was the game we imagined. We knew it would be resolved by incidents and that’s what happened. It was hard and even ugly, but very competitive with both waiting for the other to slip up. We got a point that allows us to remain in a privileged position.” Simeone added that Sevilla’s tactics meant that chances were few-and-far-between, but that his team has “to look for alternatives” when teams try to shut them down.
