Diego Simeone, Atlético Madrid's head coach, expressed his responsibility for his team's collapse at the start of the second half against Athletic Bilbao in the match that ended with a 3-0 defeat in La Liga.
Simeone said after the match in statements reported by the Spanish newspaper "AS": "As we saw, we delivered an important first half; we had chances, showed character, and performed well, but within five or two minutes we lacked focus and decisiveness in situations that could have been handled better."
He added: "The opponent dealt with it very well, capitalized on our lack of focus, and then the match became more complex and difficult. They were more organized defensively and deserved the win."
Regarding what hurt him most about the match, he explained: "The game was going very well, and we had good feelings before the start of the second half, but we failed to handle situations properly during those two minutes."
He continued: "This is the technical staff's responsibility because we failed to provide the team with the start to the second half that it needed."
When asked about the reason the team did not enter the second half with the same level of focus, Simeone said: "The technical staff failed to convey what was required for the start of the second half, and the players did not find it themselves."
Speaking about the team's current phase, Simeone said: "We are in a team-building phase and will face complex situations. We started well as expected, but those five minutes dealt us a blow, and we must respond to it and resolve what needs to be resolved."
The Atlético Madrid coach praised the opponent, affirming that Athletic Bilbao has a coach with clear ideas, noting that the team succeeded in working very effectively with a low defensive block.
Simeone pointed out that Atlético did not create many chances apart from Julián Álvarez's opportunity, which was saved by Bilbao's goalkeeper, adding: "I like Athletic Bilbao; they are an important team that will fight for important positions, and there will be competition with Villarreal, Real Sociedad, and many other teams that are developing to become closer to us."
When Simeone was asked why Álvarez did not train with the substitutes after the match, he replied: "Are you really asking me this question? I have nothing to say."