Atletico Madrid manager Diego Simeone lamented his side’s poor performance as their slim LaLiga title hopes were dealt a major blow in Saturday’s 1-0 defeat at Las Palmas, admitting his side needed “perfect numbers” to stay in contention.
Third-placed Atletico conceded a last-gasp goal to fall to the relegation-threatened hosts, remaining on 63 points, 10 behind leaders Barcelona and three adrift of second-placed Real Madrid, who host Athletic Bilbao on Sunday.
With six league games remaining, Simeone seemed resigned to losing the last title Atletico were still competing for this season, admitting the match “did not go as they had imagined.”
“If we had any chance of winning the league, we had to get perfect numbers. Today we didn’t,” the Argentine told reporters.
“The first half was fairly solid but we couldn’t take the lead. The second half started flat, and we weren’t able to create what we had imagined.”
Simeone denied any lack of attitude by his players, but admitted that their tactical execution and individual performance fell short.
“It wasn’t a matter of attitude, we just played badly,” he said. “There was no fluidity, no chance to link up play. We set the game up a certain way and made changes to find solutions, but it didn’t work.”
The coach added that, despite having virtually lost the title, he will continue to approach each game with the same determination, while aiming to improve the team’s defensive play.
“We always prepare with the same enthusiasm, and we will continue to take care of it as we have been doing for the past 14 years,” Simeone said.
“We have struggled more in this last stretch than we did at the beginning of the season. Defence is a very important part of our game and we need people who understand what we need.”
