One of the unspoken laws in Diego Simeone's moral code book is to never be critical of a fellow coach - and certainly not in public. El Cholo graciously declined giving his his opinion on José Mourinho to a reporter who reminded him of the Manchester United manager's remarks from earlier on Tuesday. In his pre-match press conference at Mestalla, Mou rejected claims that his time at Old Trafford could be described as a failure: "Atlético de Madrid's big success of last year was my success two season's ago..."

Simeone replied that he wasn't in the least bit offended by the United coach's comments as he replied: "It's not for me to give an opinion at all. I never pass judgement on a fellow professional - and even less so with someone like Mourinho who is a brilliant coach who also has coached at some of the football's top clubs" said El Cholo.