Atlético Madrid coach Diego Simeone wasn’t letting the frustration of a 3-3 draw with Club Brugge get to him on Wednesday night as he spoke to the press post-match.
“The Champions League demands defensive and offensive strength,” the coach said. “In a difficult stadium, we had a 0-2 and 2-3 lead, the opponent drew level fairly.”
Simeone insisted that he was leaving Belgium “with the peace of mind that the team gave it their all.”
“We can talk about whatever you want to find any criticism you want to see, but we were accurate and there were situations that we could have handled better in defence,” Simeone said. “We lacked defensive strength.”
Diego Simeone on home advantage in the second leg
“Not just on Tuesday (in the second leg). We need to be with our fans on Saturday in La Liga (against Espanyol). We’ve come off the back of a marathon of matches that took a lot of effort… We need the energy we get at home. What matters is winning.”
Simeone on mistakes
“There’s always room for improvement, in everything. All the teams that came (to Jan Breydelstadion), except Arsenal, competed well and managed to take the lead in the matches. We had the lead at 0-2, at 2-3… They play well, they’re a dynamic team, we knew we weren’t going to have an easy time of it. We made mistakes that allowed them to get to 3-3.”
Simeone on Marc Pubill
“The team’s performance was good overall. Marc works well, we need players who make decisions… I’m happy with that.”
Simeone on how it was possible to score three and still not win
“Because the other team scored three goals.”
Simeone on the result
“It was the match we expected, against the most intense opponent in the Champions League. A very young team, players who work very well together, we knew it wasn’t going to be easy. We had a fairly controlled first half, where we were able to score two goals, and there were some counterattacks that we didn’t execute in the best way. In the second half, they got into the game, it wasn’t the same anymore, we didn’t attack like we did before. Even so, it was 2-2, we went 2-3 up, and then that last goal came from a misinterpretation of how to defend on our part, and they took advantage of the opportunity.”
Simeone on Club Brugge’s two goals changing the plan
“The match is 90 minutes, not 45. We reacted well to their two goals with the 2-3 and Sørloth’s previous one-on-one. The team competed very well against an opponent that is not easy to beat here. We knew that.”
Simeone on whether Atleti could have got a better result
“If it ends in the first half and we look at it that way, yes. If we look at the context, the draw is fair, we both had chances, we took advantage of them. The return leg is at home and we hope for a great match.”
Simeone on needs to be improved
“Everything.”