Diego Simeone sized up his Atletico Madrid side and looked ahead to Saturday's clash with Deportivo La Coruna in the tenth round of La Liga.
The newspaper AS carried the Argentine's remarks from his pre-match press conference, where he said: "The opponent shows good levels in all their matches. They have won some, managed to draw others, and also lost."
He continued: "Deportivo La Coruna is a bold team. We faced them before in the last edition of the Copa del Rey, and we suffered a lot against them."
Asked about the Clasico, the Argentine was blunt: "How will I watch the Clasico? I am only thinking about the Deportivo La Coruna match."
On whether his side can go toe to toe with the champions, he stressed: "Is it possible to compete with Barcelona at this level? Yes, of course, you can always compete. It is completely clear, and it has been proven. But that does not change the fact that Barcelona have a wonderful team."
The title talk drew a similar response. "Does it motivate you that Atletico are not considered among the candidates to win the title? I apologise to you, but I am only thinking about Deportivo."
Turning to his players, he said: "How is Barrios? And is he now able to play for 90 minutes? The most important thing is that he delivers a good level during the minutes he plays, as he has been doing recently."
Simeone grew warm when the subject moved to Gimenez. "How do you feel when you see Gimenez as an opponent? First of all, I cannot separate him from the team that will face us, nor from the person and man who helped me and accompanied me thanks to his great commitment. I am grateful to Jose Maria. He was and still is one of the most important defenders to have played for Atletico since my arrival at the club. I always wish him the best, as we love him very much."
Pubill came up last. "Is Pubill facing some difficulties? He is a young player, with an important present and an even better future. It will depend on what he decides and what he wants. He has all the attributes that help him develop, from desire and ambition to humility and hard work."