Diego Simeone had no room for excuses as Atletico Madrid lost 3-0 away at Valencia on their La Liga return.
Atletico secured seven points from their opening three games of the domestic campaign prior to the September international break.
However, with the return of the league calendar, Simeone was under pressure to deliver a result that would support their wider form in the Spanish top flight.
That was not the case on the road at Valencia, as Hugo Duro put the away side in front early on, and they powered on from there in the Spanish capital.
Duro doubled Valencia’s advantage before the break, as Atletico struggled to cope with the visitors attack, with Javi Guerra ending the contest late on.
🎙️ Simeone habló tras el #ValenciaAtleti. pic.twitter.com/DDmBOeMlb2
— Atlético de Madrid (@Atleti) September 16, 2023
Atletico posed a sporadic threat late on, but Valencia held firm, with visitors unlucky not to claim a fourth goal and Simeone was firm in his post match assessment.
“We have played the weakest game since I arrived at the club and I have to congratulate our rival”, as per reports from Marca.
Simeone will look o rally rally his troops as they take on Lazio in midweek Champions League action.
