Atletico Madrid manager Diego Simeone urged his players to stay grounded after their 14-match winning streak helped them leapfrog rivals Real Madrid to the top of the LaLiga standings with a 1-0 home win over 11th placed Osasuna on Sunday.
Julian Alvarez’s 55th-minute goal was enough to lift Atleti to 44 points, one ahead of second-placed Real, as the leaders soared to the top with their longest ever winning streak across all competitions.
A short and clever corner routine from Antoine Griezmann found Clement Lenglet at the far post, who headed it down to Alvarez and the Argentine made no mistake slotting a low shot into the net from close range.
“We had been talking with the guys about giving set-pieces the importance it deserves. It gives us the chance to win games when its not easy,” the Argentine coach told reporters.
“The players have done a great job in the past few months, there’s a collective effort… They know how to suffer and understand that there will be difficulties in every step.”
Atleti’s club record streak began with a 2-0 away win over sixth-tier side Unio Esportiva Vic in the Copa del Rey on Oct. 31.
They managed to beat rivals Barcelona 2-1 in December thanks to a 96th minute goal from Alexander Sorloth and drew 1-1 with Real Madrid earlier in September.
“(We need) to be aware of where we are, of what the team is playing for, of what we must go through to achieve these objectives. We are not going anywhere without humility,” Simeone added.
Asked if his side were capable of continuing their rich vein of form and winning a third LaLiga title under him, Simeone played down expectations.
“That’s very difficult to answer. I’d have to be a magician or visionary. We need to stay on track, saying anything else would be disrespectful. To repeat what we’ve done in the first half of the season, we’ll have to keep working one match at a time,” he said.
Atletico face a gruelling schedule in January, with six matches across three competitions in 18 days. They take on second-tier side Elche on Wednesday in the Copa del Rey and visit Leganes in LaLiga three days later.
Simeone’s side, in 11th place in the Champions League with 12 points from six games, will resume their European campaign on Jan. 21 when they host German side Bayer Leverkusen.
