Madrid, Dec 23 (IANS): Diego Simeone has been named the Best La Liga Coach in December, an award for Atletico de Madrid’s sensational month of December which has seen the club rise to the top of the standings in the league. Since the 1-0 loss against Real Betis at the Benito Villamarin, on October 27, Atletico Madrid have won all their matches (7 out of 7) against Las Palmas (2-0), Mallorca (0-1), Deportivo Alaves (2-1), Real Valladolid (0-5), Sevilla (4-3), Getafe (1-0) and FC Barcelona (1-2).

Diego Pablo Simeone thus won his first award of the season and will end 2024 in the best possible way, beating Diego Martínez (UD Las Palmas) and Ernesto Valverde (Athletic Club) in the final vote for Best Coach of the Month for December in La Liga.

The last victory against FC Barcelona, before the league went on hold for the two-week long winter break, took Atletico Madrid to the top of the La Liga standings, with another comeback in the final minutes thanks to Alexander Sorloth's goal.

After the game against Barcelona, Simeone had reflected on what changed for the side this season.

“We found ourselves as we went along. As a coach, our greatest virtue is to accompany what they are doing well, to give them structure, so that the team can progress as they are playing the game. We started in Vic, we went to Paris when it was very difficult and the same thing happened as today and we were able to compete in the best way and fundamentally what the club has left in the legacy is that Gabi, Godin, Juanfran and that is left to Koke, De Paul from Argentina and we have good strikers,” said Simeone in a press conference.

The La Liga title race is heating up with only one point separating Real Madrid and Atletico. FC Barcelona’s recent slump has seen them fall three points behind the league leaders, that too having played one game more than the two Madrid-based sides.