Simeone: Work ethic crucial to Atletico success

Atletico Madrid must work harder than their illustrious rivals for success as they cannot keep on a financial level, says Diego Simeone.

During the head coach's reign Atleti have soared back to the top of La Liga and become a genuine contender with Barcelona and Real Madrid, lifting their first league title since 1996 in the previous campaign.

However, repeating the success has proved difficult and Atleti still need a single point to ensure third place and a place in the UEFA Champions League group stages next season.

"For Atleti to keep on winning we can only do one thing - that is to work and fight," he told Onda Cero.

"I wanted to bring back the feeling of belonging to the club, to feel its spirit. That's something you can do to compensate for not being able to sign a player for €100million.

"If we don't see what the reality is then it becomes very difficult for us to compete. It's not enough to just have talent at Atletico Madrid.

"At other clubs it is, but we can't sign superstars and have to look for players with a good work ethic.

"This year has been our most difficult because we have set the bar so high."