Torres: Annoying the giants got Atletico abused

The striker, who returned to the Vicente Calderon on loan last month, thinks that being accused of foul play is a result of upsetting Real Madrid and Barcelona's duopoly
Fernando Torres says Atletico Madrid are facing accusations of violence because they have "annoyed" the traditional giants of Spanish football.

The Rojiblancos host Real Madrid on Saturday with much of the pre-match build-up having focused on claims that Diego Simeone's men are overly physical in their encounters with the top teams, following feisty encounters with the European champions and Barcelona in January.
However, January loan signing Torres feels Atletico are being unfairly maligned and are the victims of double standards, with the striker asking why other players wth poor disciplinary records, such as Real centre-half Sergio Ramos, are not being tarred wth the same brush.
"When you annoy the giants, they attack you," the Spain international told AS. "So these accusations are essentially a good thing.
"What they're saying might be true, everyone can have their opinion. But I do not think it is the case.
"You can talk to my Spain team-mate Sergio Ramos, who is one of the best centre-backs in the world - is he a soft or a violent player? He's like us, so is Pepe.
"Great teams have players who give 100 per cent. This violent label will pass and we'll be back up at the top if we continue with our current form."
Torres also suggested that it is hard to compare current coach Diego Simeone with Chelsea boss Jose Mourinho, whom he played under for two seasons, because the Argentine does not have the same money at his disposal.
"Mourinho and Simeone are very different," he added. "It is difficult to compare them, because they are not coaching the same team with the same players.
"Chelsea have the players they want - they spend the money and after that they win stuff, that's what has made Mourinho successful. That's not necessarily easy.
"With Simeone, he's got Atleti winning with different resources. I do not know how Mourinho would fare at Atletico or Simeone at Chelsea. What I like is that they are very intelligent and adapt to what they have."
The Madrid derby at the Vicente Calderon kicks off at 16:00CET.