Simeone backs Alvarez after Barcelona comeback: ‘I’m not inside his body, but we will wait for him’

Atletico Madrid manager Diego Simeone said he remained proud of his players after their 2-1 defeat by Barcelona at the Metropolitano in La Liga’s 12th round, insisting the result did not reflect a lack of effort from his side.

Atletico took the lead in the first half, but Fermin Lopez equalised for Barcelona before scoring again to complete the comeback and secure three points for the visitors.

Simeone said Atletico had put Barcelona under pressure and created opportunities, but lacked the decisive final touch required to finish the match in their favour.

“I am completely satisfied with the players’ performance and there is no room for complaint,” Simeone said, according to Spanish newspaper AS. “We put the opposition players in difficult situations, but we lacked the decisive final touch that 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 scoreline 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 drop was necessarily caused by fatigue, saying the impact of the substitutions was more important and depended on whether the players introduced from the bench performed above or below expectations.

“The match went as we had planned,” he said. “We had chances through Baena and Sorloth, while Barcelona did not have many opportunities despite having possession.

“But I am satisfied with the team. We are still in the process of building and there are areas we need to improve, as well as players who need to continue developing.”

Simeone said he always expected substitutes to make an outstanding contribution, although he accepted that the circumstances of a match or the quality of the opponent could make that difficult.

“Sometimes the game or the opponent does not allow it,” he said. “I still feel we gave everything. Against a strong opponent, time matters. We played well for 50 minutes, which was the period we had, then the opponent controlled the game and were more clinical than us.”

Simeone defends Alvarez

Simeone also praised Julian Alvarez despite the forward failing to score. He said the Argentina international had influenced several attacking moves, including creating a chance for Giuliano Simeone.

“He played an important match and was involved in three attacks, as well as providing an assist for Giuliano,” Simeone said. “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.”

Asked whether missed chances could affect Alvarez’s confidence, Simeone said: “I am not inside his body, but he has our confidence.”

Alvarez had hoped to join Barcelona during the previous summer transfer window, when the Catalan club were keen to sign him, but Atletico refused to let the striker 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 demanded by major matches.

“Barcelona had possession but did not create many chances,” he said. “We had opportunities through Julian, Baena and Sorloth, from Julian’s cross. They had one chance, and it was a goal.”

Simeone called Alvarez “an exceptional player” and said Atletico loved and needed him. “We will work with him,” he added. “He was involved in three or four of our five good scoring chances. Only the goal was missing, the goal that would have made him shine, but it will come.”

Asked about Atletico’s consecutive defeats, Simeone’s final response was: “Calm.”