Diego Simeone says Atlético de Madrid are still in a building phase after their 2-1 defeat to Liverpool at Anfield, with the coach pointing to the difference between their first-half control and a second-half drop-off.
Atlético had led in their Champions League campaign opener before losing at Anfield, but Simeone made clear afterwards that the result fitted a wider pattern. After Saturday’s 3-0 defeat at Athletic Club in Bilbao and another difficult match in Seville, he said the team are conceding too many goals and still have several things to sort out.
Simeone: second-half errors cost Atlético again
The Atlético coach said it was normal not to perform at the same level after the break, adding that if a team cannot sustain that level in the second half, it suggests they are not physically up to scratch. He stressed that Atlético were good in the first half against Liverpool, but not in the second, and once the mistakes came, all the effort of the earlier period was reduced to a footnote.
“It happened in Bilbao. It’s happened here, at Anfield,” Simeone said, making the point that this was not an isolated collapse. For him, the issue is not just the final scoreline, but the repeated pattern of goals being conceded and control slipping away after half-time.
A team still being built
Simeone was direct about where Atlético stand right now. “We’re in a building phase,” he said, before adding that people do not like to hear that but that the team are still building and still have several things to sort out.
That is a frank assessment from a coach who expects high standards, but it also offers context for a loss that came after Atlético had taken the lead. The performance showed enough in the first half to suggest there is something to work with, yet the second-half decline once again exposed the gaps Simeone is trying to close.
Praise for Cuti Romero and Julián
Even in defeat, Simeone found time to single out individual quality. He praised Cuti Romero and said, “I think Julián was fantastic.”
That matters because Atlético’s current challenge is not simply about effort or spirit. Simeone clearly believes there is quality in the group, but the broader picture remains one of a side that is not yet putting together a full match. The next tests will show whether this is just early-season adjustment or a deeper issue in a team still looking for its best level.
