The Argentine coach says that all of his players need to play with the same “enthusiasm” as the veteran striker, who impressed as a sub at the Ramon Sanchez Pizjuan
Diego Simeone says Fernando Torres showed Atletico Madrid the way forward with a lively cameo in Sunday’s 0-0 draw at Sevilla.
After suffering a disappointing 1-0 loss in the first leg of their Champions League last-16 first-leg tie at Bayer Leverkusen on Wednesday, the Rojiblancos saw their hopes of retaining their Liga title take a further blow after the stalemate at the Ramon Sanchez Pizjuan.
Atleti now stand five points behind second-placed Barcelona and seven adrift of table-toppers Real Madrid, who can pull further clear by winning their game in hand at home to Villarreal.
However, Simeone preferred to look on the bright side, taking heart from the performance of second-half substitute Torres and insisting that the Rojiblancos’ primary focus is on holding onto third place ahead of in-form Valencia.
“I saw a very vibrant game,” the Argentine coach told reporters. “I loved the effort of those who played.
“It’s a good point because we competed against a direct rival for the top four.
“The entry of Koke improved our offensive game and Torres’ input made me very happy.
“We need men like Torres, with his great enthusiasm.”
Sunday’s draw, coupled with Valencia’s win over Real Sociedad, means that Atletico are now just a point ahead of Los Che, who have won four Liga games on the bounce.
However, Atletico, who host Valencia at the Vicente Calderon next, are still eight points ahead of Sevilla in fifth.