Diego Simeone has taken the blame after Atletico Madrid suffered a "deserved" defeat in La Liga before traveling to Anfield to play Liverpool in the Champions League
Atletico Madrid head coach Diego Simeone has suffered a brusing loss
Atletico Madrid head coach Diego Simeone has suffered a brusing loss(Image: Cesar Ortiz Gonzalez/NurPhoto via Getty Images)
Atletico Madrid warmed up for its Champions League trip to Liverpool with a 3-0 hammering at the hands of Athletic Club in La Liga this weekend, with Diego Simeone shouldering the blame.
Goals from Nico Williams and Robert Navarro in quick succession at the start of the second half took the game away from Atletico Madrid, with Oihan Sancet adding some gloss to the result late on.
"The match was as we saw it. We produced a good first half," Simeone, who was involved in a heated clash the last time he was at Anfield, said. "In the second half, we lost the match in just five minutes; in fact, I believe that two minutes were enough to change everything.
"Then two minutes of lost attention and focus passed, and an inability to settle situations that we should have dealt with better.
"Athletic took advantage of that moment of lost focus. They deservedly won the match.
"The match was going well for us before the start of the second half. But we did not handle the situation well during two minutes, and that is the responsibility of the coaching staff.
Diego Simeone and Julian Alvarez will head to Liverpool shortly
Diego Simeone and Julian Alvarez will head to Liverpool shortly(Image: Getty Images)
"We are in the phase of building the team. And we will go through complicated situations. We started well, but those two minutes today dealt us a blow, and we have to respond to it."
After hosting Atletico Madrid, Liverpool will also face Porto, Villarreal and Lens at Anfield. It will travel to Inter, Club Brugge, Fenerbahce and LASK.
"It's an interesting and difficult draw, but we understood in advance that we would be facing strong opposition, and that is exactly how it has worked out," Andoni Iraola said when the draw was made.
"This is the strength of the Champions League and why competing in it is such a big test. Each of these games will present a difficult challenge in their own way, so we will have to prepare for them as best as possible and give our very best on the pitch.
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"It's up to us to be ready, but we have two important Premier League games before then, which will be our full focus before we look at the Champions League.
"But the Champions League is a challenge that we are definitely looking forward to, and it is also exciting for our supporters in terms of the European nights we can experience at Anfield and the visits to stadiums in Italy, Belgium, Austria and Turkiye.
"Coming here, I knew how special the Champions League is and how much it has been part of Liverpool's history, so it will be an honor for me and my staff to work with the team in this tournament."