Atletico Madrid coach Javier Aguirre had no problems with Maxi Rodriguez rapping his teammates over a lack of on-field effort in the opening two games of 2009.

"I have a squad that takes responsibility. Maxi takes over as captain and he also has spoken to everyone in the locker room after the two defeats," said Aguirre.

"They are responsible and committed. We know well that if we are serious, we can compete with the top teams on the table."