Diego Simeone names best side in La Liga after Madrid derby draw | OneFootball

Atletico Madrid manager Diego Simeone has named Barcelona as La Liga's best side in the aftermath of Saturday's Madrid derby.

Simeone's side took a deserved lead against Real Madrid through Julian Alvarez's Panenka penalty, but Los Blancos stepped things up after the break and, after Kylian Mbappe's equaliser, felt frustrated not to walk away with what would have been a crucial three points.

The 1-1 draw leaves Real Madrid top of La Liga, one point ahead of Atletico, but Simeone insisted third-placed Barcelona are the gold standard in Spain.

"I still insist that Barcelona is the best team in La Liga," Simeone said after the final whistle.

"They attack very well, they have incredible speed in their players, and they play very well as a team. Let's see if they win tomorrow. It'll be fun to see the journalists enjoy this tight race at the top."

Ancelotti declined to be drawn into a war of words with Simeone when quizzed on the Atletico boss' comments.

"Everyone has their opinion," Ancelotti said. "It's going to be a very competitive league. Until the end.

"We are happy, despite the difficulties we have. Before the match, there was an image. With the four of us, [Dani] Carvajal, [Eder] Militao, [David] Alaba and [Antonio] Rudiger, greeting the teammates who entered the field. And that means that, despite the difficulties, we are doing very well.