Diego Simeone makes Atletico Madrid claim after Liverpool defeat

Diego Simeone makes Atletico Madrid claim after Liverpool defeat - 'People don't like to hear that'

Atletico Madrid boss Diego Simeone was less than impressed with his team following their Champions League defeat at Liverpool on Wednesday evening

Disappointed Diego Simeone believes Atletico Madrid have only themselves to blame for allowing Champions League victory to slip through their fingers against Liverpool at Anfield.

Marcos Llorente gave the Spanish side an early lead on Wednesday evening with his fifth goal against the Reds during a period when the visitors were in the ascendancy.

But strikes either side of half-time from Dominik Szoboszlai and Alexis Mac Allister ensured Liverpool a 2-1 triumph in their opening game in the competition.

And Atletico boss Simeone said: “In the first half we played well and in the second we didn’t and then you start to commit errors and mistakes and all the effort you put in is just an anecdote. It happened in Bilbao (Atletico lost 3-0 at the weekend) and here in Anfield.

“The details are important, we are conceding many goals, three in Bilbao, one in Sevilla, two tonight. I have said we are in a construction phase, people don’t like to hear that but we are building.

“I think the team played the type of game they needed to play. We have to start interpreting certain moments when you have to play in one way or change that and I think that is why we ended up conceding the goals we conceded.

“But I think the team gave everything. The team wants to grow and we have to accept the small details that are making it not worthwhile what we have done. A defeat wipes out any positives.”

Atletico began the game with three centre-backs but changed to a more offensive approach in the second half which gave Liverpool more room to play on the counter-attack after going ahead.

“When the changes came in when we went behind, we looked for different solutions to allow us to get back in the game,” added Simeone.

“We didn’t have many chances in the first half, I don’t know if we had many chances in the second but the details in football are what makes you up there or down there.

“We needed to adjust things because lots of the goals we concede are on us.”

Simeone sprung a surprise by naming Julian Alvarez in the starting line-up, going against his pre-match assessment of the wantaway former Manchester City forward.

And he said: “Julian was fantastic, he wanted the ball all the time from minute one to minute 90.

“I spoke to him in the morning, he spoke very well and I decided he would play and I am glad he did.”

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