Diego Simeone said Atletico Madrid must remain patient with Julian Alvarez after defending the striker’s contribution in the 2-1 defeat by Barcelona at the Metropolitano in La Liga’s 12th round.
Atletico took the lead in the first half, but Fermin Lopez equalised for Barcelona before scoring again to secure three points for the visitors. Simeone praised his players despite the result, saying they had put Barcelona under pressure but lacked the accuracy needed in the final moments.
“I am completely satisfied with the players’ performance and there is nothing to complain about,” Simeone said, as reported by Spanish newspaper AS. “We put the opposition players in a difficult position, but we lacked the decisive final touch we have shown on other occasions.
“Barcelona were very confident and took their chances brilliantly. I am proud of the players. I enjoyed the match and I am very happy with everyone’s performance.”
Asked whether the result was fair, the Argentine replied: “Yes, it is fair because they scored two goals and we scored one.”
Simeone rejected the suggestion that Atletico’s second-half performance was necessarily caused by fatigue, instead pointing to the impact of the substitutes and whether they performed above or below expectations.
“The match went as we had planned,” he said. “We had chances through Baena and Sørloth, while Barcelona did not create many opportunities despite having possession. I am satisfied with the team. We are still building, there are areas we need to improve and players who must continue developing.”
He added that he always expected substitutes to make an exceptional impact, although circumstances did not always allow that.
“Sometimes the way the match develops, or the opponent, does not allow it,” Simeone said. “I still feel we gave everything we had. Against a strong opponent, time matters. We played well for 50 minutes, which was the period we had, then the opponent controlled the match and were more clinical than us.”
Simeone defends Alvarez
Simeone insisted Alvarez had produced an influential display despite failing to score.
“He played a decisive match,” he said. “He was involved in three attacks, as well as providing an assist for Giuliano. In the second half he had a chance when he tried to lift the ball over the goalkeeper, and then he crossed for Baena. What more can we ask of him?”
“We all wish we had scored that goal, but we will wait for him. We need him because if we want to achieve what we are aiming for, we need him. Otherwise, we will not get there.”
Simeone also dismissed any link between Alvarez’s missed opportunities and a lack of confidence.
“I am not inside his body, but he has our confidence,” he said.
Alvarez had hoped to join Barcelona during the previous summer transfer window, amid strong interest from the Catalan club, but Atletico Madrid refused to let him leave.
Speaking to Movistar Plus, Simeone again described the performance as excellent, saying Atletico had followed their plan for long periods but lacked the precision required in major matches.
“Of the team’s five good scoring chances, he contributed to three or four,” he said. “He was only missing the goal that would have made him stand out, but it will come.”
Asked about Atletico’s two successive defeats, Simeone’s closing message was brief: “Calm.”
