Atletico Madrid were rocked on Thursday when Diego Costa refused to take part in training, yet Diego Simeone is confident that by the time pre-season arrives, the former Chelsea goalscorer will be hungry and full of hope.
Costa felt that Atleti hadn't backed him enough in the wake of his eight-match suspension for a verbal tirade against the match official in Los Colchoneros' LaLiga Santander defeat to Barcelona.
"We'll find a hungry Costa who is full of hope and ambition by the time pre-season arrives," Simeone explained in his pre-match press conference.
"I haven't changed what I think about Diego, I believe he has struggled this season because of injuries not allowing him to be a regular.
"He has lived through situations which have made it difficult to build consistency, not even mentioning this suspension, but all this will make him work even harder."
Whilst the club's chances of winning the title are all but gone now, the clash against Eibar represents an opportunity for Simeone and co. to cement second place.
"They are a team that presses in the best way," Simeone admitted. "They force you to make mistakes.
"We'll have to prepare for a match in which they will make life very difficult for us."
When pushed on whether or not Costa would be punished for his refusal to train, Simeone refused to be drawn into discussions about club matters.
"It's an internal issue, families do not gossip to people on the outside," he confirmed.
"It has been treated internally, it's resolved. Diego was training today as he always has done."