Diego Simeone concedes his Atletico Madrid team are still finding their feet after losing the likes of Diego Costa and Thibaut Courtois last summer.
The two players moved to Chelsea -- along with Felipe Luis -- shortly after helping Atletico win their first Primera Liga title since 1996, with Courtois returning to his parent club following three seasons in the Spanish capital on loan.
Costa finished as the top-scoring Spaniard in La Liga last season with 26 goals -- Cristiano Ronaldo came out on top overall -- while Courtois was named as the best goalkeeper in the league for a second straight campaign.
"We cannot make comparisons,'' Simeone told Spanish radio station Radio Nacional. "We are a different team with respect to last season.
"Had someone told me that heading into the 12th round of games in La Liga we would be four points behind the leaders and two points adrift of a Barcelona side that has [Lionel] Messi, Neymar and [Luis] Suarez, I would have signed for that immediately.''
Atletico have lost two games -- including last weekend's 2-1 defeat at Real Sociedad -- and won seven of their opening 11 league matches this season. The defending champions lie fourth in the standings, four points adrift of leaders Real Madrid.
Simeone considers Madrid and Barca firm favourites to win the title and insists his side's aim is to finish in the top four to qualify for the Champions League.
"Barca and Madrid are two great teams,'' the Argentine said. "Barca have a young coach [Luis Enrique], who has a lot of passion and knows the club well and that will help him to achieve important things.
"[Madrid coach] Carlo [Ancelotti] brings balance, has been in the best clubs in the world and has a marvellous squad. Barca and Real are the best teams in Europe.
"Our most important aim for us is to remain up there. To be fighting alongside Sevilla, Valencia and Villarreal -- a team that is playing well and does not have the points it deserves. The most difficult thing is to remain consistent. The reality is that we have to improve. We are growing day by day and although we had a setback last weekend that can happen.''
Atletico brought in the likes of Mario Mandzukic from Bayern Munich and Alessio Cerci from Torino to help make up for the loss of Costa.
"We are trying to give our strikers more time to try to find their best movements,'' Simeone said. "We are improving in terms of possession. With Costa we had other options in attack.
"As a coach, we see players grow and that makes us much happier than winning titles. Every coach has the capacity of making their players better and to manage a group well.''
Simeone, who is under contract with Atletico until June 2017, said he prefers to focus on the present and not on the past.
"I don't like to look behind,'' the 44-year-old said. "We have experienced important things in recent years. What interested me when I arrived to Atletico was that we could become an uncomfortable rival for any team and this is where we are at.
"The results and the work done by the players has allowed us to be able to compete today. I am not moved by praise or criticisms. I don't pay much attention to the media, I live off energy. When I see that the energy is no longer positive then I go. I take it one game at a time, that is my way of living.''