By Atletico Madrid manager Diego Simeone has admitted that he has no excuse that will serve fans well when it comes to their start to the season, Los Colchoneros are already seven points adrift of arch rivals Real Madrid, having lost their opening game against Espanyol, and taken two draws against relegation candidates Elche and Alaves.
Simeone had no desire to sugarcoat the situation, and admitted that his side deserved the criticism that they have received. However he rejected the idea that Atletico were already out of the title race.
We were ten behind Barcelona [last year] and in December we were first, Football is ever-changing, We accept criticism, which is fair because we haven’t scored the points we could have, but we have to find the team, improve on what we haven’t done well, and emphasize what we’ve done well. Not everything is bad.
Simeone did stick up for his side’s performances, which he did not feel were as concerning as their points total.
“There’s no justification for the two points out of nine. We didn’t play as badly as we’ve done in the past, and we have fewer points.”
Ahead of the La Liga season, majority shareholder and CEO Miguel Angel Gil Marin told the press that Atletico would be aiming for a title.
“I always have the desire for a title. We’ve always sought it, no matter who it is against, we want to win, and winning means winning titles. Now, talking about winning titles wouldn’t be good for those of us who are Atletico fans; it would be focusing on improving the team.”
”When you’re small, you have to walk to start running. We’re in the process of walking because we got two points out of nine. Of course I want to win titles. We’re on the path we need to be on. When I arrived, Atletico won the league in 1995-96 and we repeated the feat in 2012-14 and 2021-22, and it’s a good time for that gap to start going down.”
Rightly or wrongly, Simeone’s tenure has been questioned by much of the media over recent years, wondering if it might be time for a change at the Metropolitano. El Cholo rejected the idea that he was ‘bulletproof’ in his position though.
“I don’t feel that way; football is football. The most normal thing with coaches is to change, but I’ve had something unusual happen to me.”
Nor did he see any truth in the idea that Atletico were comfortable coming third, rather than challenging for the title, “I know we have to win because if we want to keep growing, we have to win again. It’s time to win, we have to win. I try not to get complacent or relax. I’m not happy about finishing third, although third place is important for the club. If we hadn’t finished third for thirteen years, we wouldn’t be what we are today.”
Observers of Atletico over the years will confirm that his side play in a very different manner to a decade ago, Yet Simeone still battles another quip that his side do not look to kill the game when in front, instead protecting a lead.
“It’s a challenge for us to keep trying to change the face of what they think they see, but it’s not really there. Then there are the tastes and feelings that arise from certain nuances. Last year we scored 113 goals. What does it mean to be defensive?”
In terms of whether Simeone is seeking a change in style, he noted that he was trying to tailor his approach to his players.
“It depends on the players who arrive. The football of 2014 is nothing like today’s; it depends on the characteristics of the players.”
On their current plight, after just two points from nine to open the season, Simeone explained he was still seeking the right answers, When the team is not getting results, the coach has to be as self-critical as we are. We’re trying to improve the team, and we’re going to improve it.
Two more talking points from the early going have been the role of Alexander Sorloth, who has only played more than 45 minutes in one of their games thus far, and that of Antoine Griezmann, who has been on the bench for all three. While Sorloth is keen to be starting games, the numbers show a larger impact when he comes off the bench.
“He’s incredibly important. When he comes on, he’s different; the game is broken, and he can play on the counterattack. He’s going to be crucial.”
Whereas with Griezmann, who was talked about as a potential departure this summer, Simeone highlighted his leadership skills.
“Griezmann and Koke are important when they’re here. We’ve spoken a lot with both of them and we want to make them feel important, whether they’re out the tream or in it. They know why they’re here and why we need them.”
Simeone also went on to confirm that He stormed out of a meeting with UEFA referees, who were at the Atletico training ground to discuss changes to the infamous double-touch rule, Los Rojiblancos are back in action against Villarreal on Saturday night.
