Rodrigo de Paul defends Atletico Madrid season

Atletico Madrid midfielder Rodrigo de Paul has defended their season.

For many, Atletico have underachieved, but De Paul disagrees.

With the team sitting fourth on the table, De Paul told Marca: In general terms I think it has been a great season for Atletico, reaching the semifinals of the Copa del Rey, the quarterfinals of the Champions League, we qualified for the Club World Cup.

"You have not been able to close the classification for the semifinals.

"We hope to close with qualification for the Champions League."