Atletico Madrid might have beaten Botafogo, but they have bowed out of the Club World Cup. When the difference between success and failure is so small, many moments could have tipped the balance their way. Diego Simeone spoke about this cruel fate and how his men might have achieved their target despite being "not on the same level" as the two clubs that advanced to the Round of 16.
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‘We didn’t have the strength the tournament demands’
In the end, it was a case of tight margins that decided Group B. Atletico, PSG, and Botafogo all ended the group stage standings with six points and earned three of those from the three fixtures between the three teams. However, PSG had powered past the Colchoneros on the opening matchday with a 4-0 triumph and a negative goal difference is the thing that has dumped the outfit out of the competition.
“With the frustration of not being able to go through. Getting six points in the group wasn’t bad, but the match against PSG doomed us, where every decision always went against us.
But Simeone still said that his group of players can hold their heads high after their elimination.
“I am proud of the boys. We gave everything. We won two out of three games and sadly we’re out.”
One incident would irk the manager as a moment that might have ramped up the momentum if it had gone his way. Alvarez fell to the floor in the box at the end of the first half and could have received a penalty. But VAR deemed that Alexander Sorloth had committed a foul earlier in the sequence.
“In today’s match, there were situations where we could have taken the lead. Then there was that penalty where he reviewed a previous play so the penalty wouldn’t be called. More of the same.”
The Argentine admitted that he did not want to give too much attention to that singular moment.
“I’m not dwelling on that incident. I congratulate the opposition, they worked very well, with honesty and courage, they defended as you have to defend and when you defend well, if you attack well, you have a better chance of winning.”
Ultimately, the 55-year-old felt the team lacked a little quality across the three outings in America.
“We didn’t have the strength the tournament demands. If you don’t have it, defensively and offensively, you’re out. Today we had a good defensive performance, but this time, the ball didn’t want to go in.”
Yet, he is not disappointed about the displays all in all. Atletico have missed out by the narrowest of margins and will have a better idea of where they can get even better during the months to come.
“It’s a great opportunity for us to continue evolving. We are clear about what we need to improve.”
That future might be without Angel Correa, with whom his compatriot has enjoyed a strong bond.
“We talk openly and clearly. He knows that I love him. He gave us so much with his commitment to the team, both when he played and when he didn’t. We wish him all the best, we love him very much, and if he has to leave, I have no doubt that whoever signs him will get an extraordinary player.”
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‘We were in a very good group’
Simeone spoke more about his thoughts on the squad's showings in the Club World Cup in totality.
He recognised the excellence of the two teams that were the ones to reach the Round of 16. PSG won their first ever Champions League crown this year with a record margin of victory in the final from a 5-0 rout of Inter Milan and Botafogo are the holders of the equivalent title in South America.
“We are not in the same league as Paris Saint-Germain and Botafogo, but we got the same number of points as the Libertadores and Champions League winners and now we are out. That is the beautiful thing about football: it tells you that we’re close, but we’re always just a little bit short.”
“We were in a very good group with the Copa Libertadores and Champions League winners. We earned the same number of points, and I think today was the most complete match. We played on the opponent’s side of the field for a long time with a lot of space to defend, but we couldn’t capitalise.”
With a -3 goal difference, the Colchoneros came up short in the final standings and it is the time to nitpick where they could have improved. Clement Lenglet received a second yellow card for dissent in the 4-0 loss to the Parisians as Atletico gave up two more goals in the closing stages of the contest.
That collapse was one of the costliest factors behind their exit, but not the only one. Even as their performances have improved, a lack of efficiency across their two triumphs also held them back.
“I didn’t like the first match, beyond the result, because we were not compact enough. Against the Seattle Sounders, we looked better in the first half, and today we played as we usually do, intensely, looking for goals. But the situations didn’t go our way, and we did not have the luck to score.”
This clash was not the first time that VAR has hurt Atletico. Against PSG, a foul from Koke on Desire Doue dented their chances of a comeback in the buildup to a goal from Alvarez soon after the restart.
“In the PSG match, we went from 2-0 to 4-0 after a goal (from Alvarez) that was disallowed, and the penalty that wasn’t called today for an action that no one knows why, but it’s clear the situations didn’t favour us. It’s part of football. Sometimes you get favourable decisions. Other times you don’t.”
Simeone's side have excelled themselves to qualify for this competition ahead of Barcelona thanks to their record in both Europe and La Liga. But despite their displays, the manager made clear that he respects the ruthlessness of sport. He will now have to watch the rest of the tournament from afar.
“Nobody cares about everything that we are talking about here. Tomorrow we are no longer in this tournament, and it hurts because we put in a lot of effort to get into a league with Barcelona and Real Madrid and spend four years in the Champions League doing better than one of those two teams.”
