“I am proud of my players”: What did Simeone say after the defeat to Barcelona?

In the central match of the 12th round of the Spanish La Liga, Atletico Madrid lost 1:2 to Barcelona on their home turf.

After the intense and dramatic clash, the head coach of the “Colchoneros”, Diego Simeone, attended a press conference. The Argentine specialist emphasized that he was satisfied with his team's performance, praised Julian Alvarez's efforts, and noted the need to remain calm despite the second defeat in a week.

“Our plan worked, but the finishing failed us”

According to Simeone, the Madrid side demonstrated the tactics they wanted for most of the match:

• Failure to capitalize on opportunities: “I am proud of my players. We played a great game and acted as we wanted for most of the match. However, we faltered in converting our chances. The opponent, on the other hand, managed to turn their opportunities into goals”;

• Control in the second half: “The picture did not change much in the second half either. Even though Barcelona had possession, they could not create dangerous situations. On the contrary, we had good chances through Alvarez, Baena, and Sorloth. The opponent, however, made the most of their only opportunity and scored the decisive goal.”.

“Julian just lacked a goal”: Confidence in the attacking line

The coach specifically acknowledged the performance of one of the team's main stars, Julian Alvarez:

• Activity in attack: “Julian is a wonderful player; he is an extremely important figure for our team. He was directly involved in three or four of the five dangerous situations we created. Today, he just lacked a goal. I am confident that the goals will definitely come”;

• Second defeat in a week: Speaking about the pressure of losing twice in the last seven days, Simeone offered mental support to his team: “Two defeats in a week? In such a situation, one must only and strictly remain calm.”

La Liga standings after the 12th round: Situation before the FIFA break

Following this victory, Hansi Flick's Barcelona strengthened their sole lead in the standings:

Barcelona reached 33 points and headed into the break announced for international matches (FIFA days) as the leader. Atletico, remaining on 28 points, saw the gap with the leader increase to 5 points and dropped to 3rd place.