Gone are the days of the miserly Atletico Madrid defences and tight games against other big hitters. Yet unfortunately for Los Colchoneros, that is not purely down to their excellent front pairing of Alvaro Morata and Antoine Griezmann – their defence is looking vulnerable despite the three central defenders Simeone is using.
For the first time since arriving at the club, Simeone’s Atletico conceded five goals. Los Rojiblancos have let in 15 goals in their last 6 matches, and it is the fourth time this season they have let in three or more.
“Because no doubt the coach is not working on it in the best way,” Simeone told Movistar+, as per Diario AS.
In his press conference after, he again took responsibility for the problems, while also noting that they were doing well with the ball.
“Maybe we were stronger, but we need to grow. I have to look for tools to recover defensive security because offensively we are working well. This is like when I arrived at the club. The team scored goals, but they didn’t defend that well. We are going through that process and the responsibility is mine.”
🎙️ Antoine Griezmann: “One of the things that represents Atlético Madrid is having a strong defense. And I’m not just talking about the defenders but everyone. We need to work on it.” pic.twitter.com/qKPBhbQuWV
— Atletico Universe (@atletiuniverse) January 10, 2024
After the match his former assistant manager Mono Burgos was critical of Atletico’s defending, but also their attitude at various points in the game.
No doubt when Los Rojiblancos went 3-2 up with 12 minutes to go, Simeone must have thought his side had enough to hang on for the victory having already conceded the lead twice. That said, Simeone’s side either could not or decided against changing their approach, and were immediately on the backfoot after scoring.
