Simeone: We must accept the fact that Arsenal are very strong, congratulate them, Atletico Madrid must learn

Hupu, October 22: Atletico Madrid head coach Simeone attended the post-match press conference after the 0-4 defeat to Arsenal in the Champions League.

How do you explain the 0-4 defeat?

First of all, the positives: we were playing really well until we conceded the first goal. We could have defended better after that. They did a great job to score a lot of goals.

Set-pieces are very important in football matches, especially in these games, where every detail helps control the game.

After falling behind 0-2, we could have made a mistake, but we didn't. The goal conceded was not bad luck, just a mistake. From then on, they were decisive and played better, and within 20 minutes every opportunity they took turned into a goal.

Julian's shot in the first half, which hit the crossbar, has long been in vain... The team performed very well, but this game left us with a profound lesson. The decisiveness and details of the game are crucial. This time, Atletico Madrid is killing itself on these issues.

Why did you choose Sorlot to start?

Solott did a good job of what we asked of him: to mark Souwemendi and look for opportunities to run in space.

Due to our lack of speed, we failed to take full advantage of these opportunities. His performance met our requirements. His decisions were not based on defending set pieces, but on one-on-one duels, creating crosses, making a presence felt... None of this materialized due to a lack of support from the team, but he did what he needed to do.

What happened in those miserable 10 minutes?

Individual mistakes turned into collective mistakes: one marking, no foul... When leading 3-0, we defended weakly, not very strongly, and eventually formed a rebound... These small details may determine the direction of the game.

How do you think you resolved these details after the fiasco?

This is traditional football. You don’t have to deal with it, you just own it. When a situation can be solved collectively, we do it. But personal problems are harder to solve. We strive to let the strength of the collective overshadow personal problems.

Can this game help Atletico Madrid continue to improve?

This is not like the 0-4 loss to Benfica last year. That game was completely different. We didn't shoot in that game, we didn't expect it at all...but we did it this time:

We tried our best to play. Arsenal are playing better now and we have to congratulate them and accept that fact and it helps us learn and grow.