Atletico Madrid coach Diego Simeone says that he is very happy with the impact made by Fernando Torres in this team. Despite the Spaniard being unable to open his account in the la Liga since his return to the Vicente Calderon, Simeone says that the overall impact needs to be judged more than by just the goal figures.

Torres has scored some important goals against Real Madrid and Barcelona, but they have come in the cup competitions. It looks like Atletico will fail in their efforts to retain the league title and it has raised questions about Torres’ contribution to the team.

Since the return of the 30-year-old, the future of number one striker Mario Mandzukic has been thrown into doubt. The former Bayern Munich man was dropped to the bench for the crucial match against Sevilla, which finished has a 1-1 draw. As a result of these two dropped points, Atletico have conceded defeat in the title race. The club will now be looking to cement their position in the top three of the table.

It would be sufficient to give them Champions League football for next season. After having recovered from their financial difficulties of the last decade, finances from the Champions League will be very crucial indeed.

"His entering [against Sevilla] boosted our counter-attacks and offensive connections. You could see that we could be dangerous in some counter-attacks. The introduction of Torres to the team makes me very happy. We need men of his characteristics and the enthusiasm with which he took the field. We need people who understand that no-one is more important than the team, no-one, not even the coach," said Simeone. Atletico Madrid have fallen seven points behind la Liga table leaders Real Madrid with both teams having played the same number of matches – 26.