Diego Simeone admitted Atlético Madrid were unable to execute their tactical plan built around Ademola Lookman as they fell 3-0 to Barcelona at the Camp Nou – but still progressed to the Copa del Rey final on aggregate.
Despite the heavy defeat on the night, Atlético advanced thanks to their commanding 4-0 first-leg victory at the Riyadh Air Metropolitano in February, sealing a return to the final for the first time in 13 years.
However, the Argentine coach made it clear that the performance in Barcelona was far from what he had envisioned.
“We couldn’t play the game we would have liked, attacking more down the right flank, like the play between Llorente and Lookman,” Simeone said after the match.
Barcelona dominated large spells of the second leg, pressing aggressively and preventing Atlético from building sustained attacks. Simeone had deployed Lookman alongside Julián Álvarez and Antoine Griezmann in an attacking setup designed to stretch the hosts, particularly through the right channel.
“They wouldn’t let us play. They took up space from us just as we did from them on our own turf,” Simeone explained.
“In the first half, we couldn’t execute any of the attacking plays we’d planned.”
One of Atlético’s few clear openings came when Marcos Llorente delivered a dangerous cross into the area, only for Lookman to head over. It was a rare moment of promise on an otherwise defensive night.
Simeone did not hide his frustration at the missed opportunity.
“The few chances we had, we couldn’t make them count; Lookman’s shot, another through ball that he could have finished better… There weren’t many, we expected more.”
Barcelona’s goals – including efforts from Marc Bernal and Raphinha – came as Atlético struggled to cope with pressure and set-piece situations.
“We didn’t handle set pieces well, and that’s how they scored against us,” Simeone admitted. “If Barcelona score against you from set pieces, you suffer more; that wasn’t the plan.”
At one stage, the momentum suggested a potential comeback in the tie, but Atlético held firm enough to protect their aggregate advantage.
Simeone acknowledged that suffering is embedded in Atlético’s identity.
More Read
“When you play against teams like Barça, you know you’re destined to suffer if you don’t attack. We didn’t attack; they pressed us, they ran down the clock.”
Lookman was withdrawn just before the hour mark as Atlético retreated deeper to defend their cushion. While the Nigerian forward worked tirelessly, the structured attacking movements Simeone had hoped to see never gained rhythm.
Yet, qualification – not performance – was the ultimate objective.
Atlético now stand one match away from silverware, their first Copa del Rey final appearance since 2013. After a bruising night in Catalonia, Simeone’s men live to fight another day – even if the Lookman blueprint failed to flourish when it mattered most.
© Bold Sports Media. All rights reserved. If sharing, kindly credit Bold Sports as the source and include a link to the original post. Unauthorised use is prohibited.
