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Atletico Madrid coach Diego Simeone has defended striker Jackson Martinez following another disappointing performance in the 1-0 defeat to Villarreal, but admitted that the Colombian "knows he has to grow as a player." Martinez has scored just one goal in seven appearances since his £25 million signing from Porto in the summer, and was taken off for Fernando Torres after just 45 minutes against Villarreal, in which he managed just two efforts on goal. "He is a very important player for us and he knows that he still has to grow, but we have complete faith in him," Simeone said in a news conference. "Jackson will rise to the occasion in the important and decisive." The Argentine coach reflected on a second defeat of the season for his side, who missed out on an opportunity to go above title rivals Real Madrid in the league ahead of next week's derby match at the Vicente Calderon. "It was a tough game against a very well organised and hard working side," he said. "Villarreal scored and we couldn't come back at them in the first half by creating chances. We didn't have clear chances in the second half, but we spent a lot of it in their half. "In the first half we played well but we did better in the second. It's true that we did not start well and we did not play with the same intensity as we did in the second half."
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