Simeone backs Alvarez after Atletico Madrid lose to Barcelona

Diego Simeone was satisfied with Atletico Madrid’s performance despite their 2-1 defeat to Barcelona in the twelfth round of the Spanish league. He said his team pressed their opponents and created chances but lacked accuracy in finishing them, while Barcelona made the most of its opportunities.

Simeone described the result as fair because Barcelona scored two goals and Atletico scored one. He added that he could not say for certain that his team’s dip in the second half was due to physical factors, noting that the substitutes’ performance played a part and that the team was still being built and needed to improve.

The Atletico coach defended Julian Alvarez despite his failure to score, citing his involvement in dangerous attacks and his decisive pass to Giuliano. He also rejected the suggestion that missing chances reflected a lack of confidence. He said the team needed the striker and would work with him to help him reach his best level.

The report noted that Alvarez spent last summer’s transfer window wanting to move to Barcelona, but Atletico refused to let him go. Simeone ended his remarks by calling for calm after his team suffered two consecutive defeats.