Diego Simeone says Atletico Madrid must respond after Athletic Club expose costly lapse

Diego Simeone has admitted Atletico de Madrid were punished for a two-minute loss of concentration in their 3-0 defeat by Athletic Club in the fourth round of La Liga, but declined to comment on Julian Alvarez’s apparent decision not to warm up after the match.

The Atletico manager said his side had produced a good first half at San Mames before failing to deal with a crucial spell at the start of the second period. Athletic Club took advantage of that lapse and secured a convincing victory.

“The match was as we saw it. We played a good first half,” Simeone said, according to comments published by Marca.

“Then there were two minutes of a lack of attention and concentration, and an inability to resolve situations that we should have dealt with better. Athletic Club took advantage of that moment when we lost concentration. They deserved to win the match.”

Simeone accepted responsibility for the way Atletico responded to the turning point, saying the game had been developing positively for his team before the break.

“The match was going well for us before the start of the second half. But we did not deal well with the situation during those two minutes, and that is the responsibility of the coaching staff,” he added.

The defeat leaves Atletico facing an early setback as Simeone continues to shape his squad. The Argentine manager stressed that the team remains in a rebuilding phase and warned that difficult moments would form part of the process.

“We are in a stage of building the team. We will go through complicated situations. We started well, but those two minutes today dealt us a blow, and we have to react to it,” Simeone said.

His comments came after he was asked about Alvarez, with the Argentina forward reportedly not going out to warm down after the final whistle. Simeone offered no explanation for the incident.

“Alvarez did not go out to warm up after the match? Really? I have no comment,” he said.

Atletico created few clear opportunities during the game. Simeone identified one chance for Julian as the notable exception, while praising the opposition’s performance and predicting a strong campaign for Ernesto Valverde’s side.

“Apart from Julian’s chance, we did not have clear opportunities. Athletic Club will compete for the top positions this season,” he said.

The result gave Athletic Club a comfortable home victory and underlined the cost of Atletico’s brief defensive and organisational lapse. Simeone’s focus, however, was on how his players respond in the matches ahead as the team attempts to develop consistency during the opening stages of the season.