Simeone wants to finish LaLiga season on a high
Diego Simeone is hopeful his Atletico Madrid players will finish their LaLiga campaign strongly and go into the FIFA Club World Cup with momentum on their side.
Atletico hosts Real Sociedad this weekend, knowing it will likely finish no higher than third, having been cut adrift of Barcelona and Real Madrid at the top.
Nevertheless, Simeone has urged his side to not look too far ahead, despite the FIFA Club World Cup beginning in a month's time.
"It's not so easy [to think about the FIFA Club World Cup], because the focus is not the same," Simeone said.
"We have to finish these last four games in the best way possible.
"We have the responsibility, especially playing in front of our fans, so let's hope that they will demand more from us tomorrow, because obviously that demand will make us enter the game better, and hopefully it will lead us to give our all."
Osasuna, Real Betis and Girona are Atletico's final opponents in LaLiga, before it faces Paris Saint-Germain, Seattle Sounders and Botafogo at the FIFA Club World Cup.
Atletico began the season very strongly, with just one defeat from its opening 19 matches, which ignited hopes of a third LaLiga title under Simeone, but it has fallen away after a poor second half of the season.
It also went close in other competitions, losing in the semi-finals of the Copa del Rey to Barcelona and going out on penalties against Real Madrid in the Round of 16 of the UEFA Champions League.
Simeone believes his side's 2-1 defeat away to Getafe in February, which saw it miss the chance to go top of LaLiga, was a crucial turning point in its season.
"I think we competed very well in LaLiga until February or March," Simeone said.
"The game that probably hurt us the most was at Getafe. After that came the elimination from the [UEFA] Champions League, then [a defeat against] Barcelona in La Liga.
"Until that moment, the feeling was that the team was doing very well.
"I hope we can finish these four games in the best way to obviously, at least in the league, compete for the place we need to be."
