Diego Simeone refused to criticise his players after Atletico Madrid's nine-game unbeaten run ended with a 2-0 Champions League defeat by Bayern Munich at the Metropolitano on Tuesday night, blaming the mistakes that handed the German champions both second-half goals and admitting his side must give 120 percent to live with Europe's best.
Atletico competed hard for an hour against Bayern, but Lennart Karl's opener broke their resistance and Konrad Laimer's second finished the contest. After the match, Simeone told reporters the game had turned on errors rather than effort.
"Football is based on many good individual moments, but also on the mistakes that are made: whether you defend poorly, lose possession, or fail to mark at a corner," he said, in quotes reported by Into the Calderon. "Those who can capitalise on them best are the ones who benefit the most."
Mistakes, Not Effort, Were the Problem
Simeone insisted Atletico had the match where they wanted it before Karl scored. "We needed to keep playing the way we were until the 0-1. Up until then, we were competing well against a top-class, strong side," he said. "Today, up until the 55th or 60th minute, we competed very well."
"Goals are always down to mistakes, or at least most of them are; there's always a mistake. This time it was our turn. It can happen, that's the game, that's football. We need to bounce back for Sunday and be strong for what lies ahead."
Reuters also noted that Bayern broke down a stubborn Atletico side with the two second-half goals, on a night when stadiums across Europe held a minute's silence for Tenerife striker Jesus de Miguel, who died earlier on Tuesday. Asked whether that tragedy had affected the game, Simeone offered his condolences to De Miguel's family and said anything else would only lead to mistakes.
Le Normand's Anger and the Sorloth Plan
Defender Robin Le Normand looked furious when he was substituted after the opening goal, but Simeone defended him. "Robin is a very decent, very honourable, hard-working person. It's normal for him to be angry, just like any footballer when he makes a mistake," he said.
The Atletico coach also explained why Alexander Sorloth started. "Sorloth gave us the option of not having to play with deep-lying players and of not always having to build up play in an organised manner. We were able to rely more on direct play. We had the match under control; we played it exactly as we wanted to. Unfortunately, the 0-1 went in; we couldn't react, and we could have done better before the 0-2, which effectively ended the match."
His most striking admission came when he was asked whether nights like this bring Atletico back down to earth. "When we face top-tier opponents, it can happen, against Bayern, against Arsenal. They're better teams than us and we have to keep working to compete with them, especially in those knockout ties. In a two-legged tie, anything can happen, but we have to go all the way to 120 percent because 100 isn't enough."
So What Happens Next?
Atletico are left with work to do in the league phase after four matches, and there is no time to dwell on this one: Simeone's side face La Liga leaders Barcelona on Sunday, the side who beat Aston Villa 3-0 on the same night. A response there would change the mood quickly, but another defeat would leave Atletico chasing in two competitions at once.
Beyond the Final Whistle: Simeone's honesty is refreshing, but it is also a warning. Atletico can compete with the elite for an hour on organisation and intensity — what they cannot do is gift that level of opponent two goals and expect to survive. Until the mistakes stop, 120 percent will not be enough either.
Was Simeone right to blame mistakes rather than his players — or is this Atletico side simply a level below Europe's best? Let us know what you think in the comment section.
