Diego Simeone agrees with Cristiano Ronaldo that Real Madrid have better technical players than Atletico Madrid, but says that football is about much more than just individual talent.
Atletico host Real in Tuesday's Champions League quarterfinal first leg at the Calderon having won four and drawn two of this season's "derbi" meetings, following on from Real's dramatic win over their neighbours in last season's Champions League final.
After Atletico had eliminated their wealthier neighbours from the Copa del Rey in January, Ronaldo said that Simeone's side did not play good football, but were just defensive and waited for set-pieces to score.
Asked at his pregame news conference if he agreed with Ronaldo that Real had better individuals, the Colchoneros coach said he could not argue with that assessment.
"The truth is that in various areas of the pitch they have much more individual talent than we do," Simeone said. "But there are different characteristics, different squads and each one will do what is best for their team. It is clear Cristiano spoke the truth; they have players with a lot of technical quality."
Atletico have often overcome this situation by playing more cohesively and showing more aggression than their opponents, especially in February's 4-0 La Liga "derbi" win at the Calderon.
Simeone said he expected Tuesday's game to be more similar to the Copa del Rey clash in February 2012, when Real had matched Atletico for intensity.
"There are always situations that break games open, from individual plays," he said. "A dead-ball, a mistake in the defensive set-up... these are things that happen in every game.
"I am not looking back at previous games, as I understand that this will be a new game, a quarterfinal tie, not the same as a Champions League final.
"I do not imagine another game than that we played in the Copa del Rey, two years ago, at their stadium. They played with very high intensity and I imagine something similar in this game.
"I imagine they will be more active in defence. [Luka] Modric's presence gives them more aggression with the ball. That generates more presence in midfield. Something decisive."
Speaking to UEFA (picked up on Madrid's website), Los Blancos centre-back Sergio Ramos said that he and his teammates lifted their performances in the Champions League, as it was the biggest stage to perform on.
"It isn't only important for me," he said. "For any player, the Champions League brings an extra source of motivation because of the coverage it gets across the world. It changes you as a player.
"You come up against the best in Europe and, at the end of the day, that's what sets you apart from being a regular player and being one of the best. In these matches, you see the true personality of every player and it brings out the best in each individual."
Ramos' greatest Champions League moment was his 93rd-minute equaliser against Atletico in last season's final, after which Real went on to win out easily 4-1 in extra-time against physically and mentally drained Atletico opponents.
"My goal [for] La Decima [10th European Cup] will always be there, with that header in the last minute," he said. "Last year everything went perfectly, just as we wanted. I reached my peak level.
"I remember it with a smile, obviously. It's a memory that will last forever, and when I'm in my old age I'll be able to show it to my son and my grandchildren. At Real Madrid, you always have to fight to the last.
"The last thing you lose is your hope, and that's what could be seen in our fans' eyes: fighting spirit, commitment right to the final second, until the referee blows his whistle."
Real would need to battle hard throughout the two ties to overcome Atletico again in this year's competition, Ramos said.
"I expect something similar to what we've come up against this campaign and in the last two years," he added. "A really competitive and hard-working team that roll their sleeves up when the going gets tough.
"That's what has seen Atletico take a step up. We're going to try to be at our best, take our chances in front of goal and look to make as few mistakes as possible, because in these matches there's very little margin for error."