Simeone addresses Vinícius controversy as Atlético lose Supercopa semi

17 hours ago 2

Atlético Madrid coach Diego Simeone was optimistic despite his team falling to a 2-1 defeat to Real Madrid in Jeddah, Saudi Arabia, in the Spanish Super Cup.

Speaking from Alinma Stadium in Jeddah, Simeone reflected “we lacked composure in the final third, but (Thibaut) Courtois made two or three very good saves.” He insisted “the team played well, the way we wanted to play, they scored a great goal and then made a very good counterattack that they finished off very well.

“We played the game we imagined: keeping possession, playing out wide, players on the flanks, presence in the box,” Simeone said. “We weren’t clinical and we congratulate our opponents because they were.”

Diego Simeone on the defeat

“They started the match with a great goal, a tremendous shot from (Fede) Valverde. We fell behind, but we played the game we wanted to play, the game we wanted to play throughout. We created chances to score. In some cases, we lacked the incisiveness we normally have, and in others, Courtois made some great saves, especially from (Alexander) Sørloth’s header. We competed very well. In the second half, we played almost entirely in their half, except for the counter-attacks, such as the one that led to the 0-2, which they created very well.

“I can’t fault my team. We congratulate our opponents and we’ll continue working in this vein.”

Diego Simeone on Vinícius

“I have nothing to say. What happens on the pitch, since we were little, stays there. Nothing more to say.”

Diego Simeone on his clashes with Vinícius

“I don’t remember, my memory is complicated.“

Diego Simeone on the match against Depor in the Copa del Rey

“We hope to recover in the best possible way to compete against an opponent who is doing very well in their league.”

Diego Simeone on the wall for Valverde’s free-kick

“It was a great goal. An extraordinary shot. I didn’t see it calmly, but I did see it on the pitch when it happened. You can see that he hits the ball very well. He scored a great goal. Despite that, the team played a very good game, we deserved to win, we didn’t do it and they had the ability to finish off the chances they had.”

Diego Simeone on fatigue

“The temperature has an influence, but it affects both teams equally. Each team tried to win the match in their own way. This time we weren’t decisive enough and we have to congratulate our opponents.”

Diego Simeone on Julián’s late chance

“There was that one, one from Álex (Baena), one from Marcos (Llorente) outside the area, the last cross that we couldn’t get on the end of. There are days when we can say ‘we didn’t play well, we didn’t create chances…’ Today was the opposite, but we’re out.”