Atletico Madrid forward Antoine Griezmann says he and his teammates should brace themselves for a relegation dogfight in LaLiga this season if they continue their current uninspiring form.
Diego Simeone's men have opened their campaign with two frustrating draws after being held 0-0 to newly promoted side Leganes on Saturday night and Griezmann, who was making his first appearance of the season after an extended break following Euro 2016, has demanded improvement.
"If we continue like this, we will fight for relegation," he said.
Cristiano Ronaldo shows his class after beating Antoine Griezmann to the UEFA Best Player in Europe award �� pic.twitter.com/OC1TcZioMs
"We are angry, we must shake up because otherwise we will be out of hand. We must begin to be ourselves."
Griezmann also revealed that he is working to get back to his best, but will need time to regain his pace.
"I'm fine, I only need pace.I'm working to get back to my level," he said.
Meanwhile, Simeone has called for calm and insisted he is happy with his players after watching another draw from the sideline.
"We have to remain calm and keep working," he said. "With work and enthusiasm we'll find what we're looking for.
"I'm not ashamed about the fact that we're lacking cutting edge and that this is happening to us.
"I am happy with the work of my players."
"Maybe there is a slight nervousness when it comes to trying to score goals, but we created chances and they did not," Simeone added.
"We failed to turn the play we created into goals. In other matches we have had fewer chances, but we've scored."