Atletico Madrid supervisor Diego Simeone was relatively sanguine in defeat after Barcelona knocked them out of the Copa del Rey within the second leg of the semi-final. For a lot of, that was their final actual shot at a title this season, now 9 factors again in La Liga.
There was no scarcity of disappointment on the last whistle, exemplified by defender Jose Maria Gimenez, who felt that they didn’t strategy the sport the best means within the first half.
“I apologize to the Atletico Madrid followers for throwing away the primary half. If we had gone out onto the sphere with the second half’s mentality…” he advised Cadena Cope.
Phrases that didn’t go down particularly effectively with Simeone, who was relayed the assertion, mentioned ‘ask Jose’. ‘Be more practical’ was his solely response to what they lacked, and he maintained that Atletico have been having a superb season.
🔪 Las cortantes respuestas de @Simeone en @teledeporte
🤨 “Pregúntale a José”
😑 “Ser concretos”
🙂 “Estamos haciendo buena temporada”
😶 “Partido a partido”
📻 #PartidazoCOPE pic.twitter.com/sruextFSrO
— El Partidazo de COPE (@partidazocope) April 2, 2025
Simeone was rather more verbose in his press convention thereafter.
“We didn’t have a superb first half, however not one to apologise for. In soccer, you undergo conditions the place the opponent is superior. That occurred within the first half. Within the second half, we corrected quite a lot of issues, competed very effectively, and have been might have tied the rating. They have been in a position to enhance the rating and we competed very effectively towards a terrific opponent. And it will possibly occur that in some unspecified time in the future they’re superior to you,” Simeone defined to Diario AS.
His half-time workforce speak centered on the truth that Atletico have been nonetheless within the match, regardless of the primary half that Gimenez thought so little of.
“We weren’t having a superb first half, they usually’d handed up possibilities and allowed us to outlive. That gave us optimism and the chance to face the second half with extra braveness. They went out, we have been nearer, the opponent is taking part in very effectively. I’ve been saying for some time now that I like the best way Barcelona performs, and we competed very effectively within the 4 video games we performed towards them.”
Simeone was requested when and what it will take for Atletico to achieve the extent of Barcelona and Actual Madrid, who will resolve Spain’s two main trophies this season.
🚨 El Chiringuito: “Do you imagine there ought to be a change of coach?”
Josema Giménez: “We imagine within the coach and within the mission.” pic.twitter.com/4zniznAMTp
— Atletico Universe (@atletiuniverse) April 2, 2025
“The membership is pure progress. We’ve introduced in some excellent gamers who’re acting at a really excessive stage. We had a incredible Champions League, a incredible Copa del Rey, we’re competing effectively in La Liga, and I’m not budging from that. Now we have to just accept the place we’re in, and proceed getting nearer to the large ones.”
Los Colchoneros are actually nearer to Athletic Membership in fourth than they’re to Actual Madrid in second, with simply 4 factors separating them from Los Leones. They face a troublesome journey to Sevilla subsequent, however there’ll little question be loads of soul-searching at Atletico Madrid within the subsequent few weeks too. Atletico have been within the hunt for 3 trophies lower than a month in the past, and now seem like ending the season empy-handed. Simeone was adamant earlier than the second leg that it had been a superb season too, calling failure a ‘broad phrase’.