Simeone looking to get Atletico back on track
Atletico Madrid struggled before the international break, but Diego Simeone believes the time away may give his side a positive boost.
The coach is hoping the success his players had on international duty will revive the club's fortunes after enduring a difficult month.
Before the international break, Atletico suffered back-to-back LaLiga defeats against Getafe and Barcelona and was also eliminated from the UEFA Champions League after a controversial penalty shootout loss to Real Madrid in the Round of 16.
Simeone's side is in third place in LaLiga, seven points behind Barcelona, which staged a stunning comeback to beat it 4-2 in the final 20 minutes when they played earlier in March.
However, some key Atletico players have since tasted success for their national teams in FIFA World Cup qualifiers.
Diego's son, Giuliano Simeone, scored for Argentina in a massive 4-1 win over Brazil, with the Albiceleste's place at the 2026 tournament also confirmed, while Alexander Sorloth scored twice in wins for Norway.
"All the international guys, going to the national team is a positive energy," Simeone said ahead of the weekend's visit to Espanyol.
"They did well, and after the game against Barcelona... winning always makes you happier."
Simeone, who has led Atletico to two LaLiga titles, said the title race was far from over, with 10 rounds still to be played.
"I think the last five games are the ones that decide the seasons, and whoever arrives with options are the ones who will compete for the objective," he said.
Atletico has not lost any of its past three LaLiga away games against Espanyol, but won only one of them, and has never gone four or more games without defeat away against this opponent in the competition this century.
In fact, Atletico is currently on a seven-match unbeaten run in its past seven games against Espanyol in the Spanish top-flight, but has drawn each of the past three.
With that in mind, Simeone was quick to caution against taking 15th-placed Espanyol lightly.
"LaLiga is complicated everywhere, everyone plays well, there is no one who plays badly, everyone has their moments.
"We always look at the present and the present is Espanyol," Simeone said.
"Against Barcelona, we made a great effort, and then the opponent's ability could overcome us.
"But we are back."
