The Argentine coach Diego Simeone, coach of Atletico Madrid, after the painful defeat of his team against Athletic Bilbao (2-1), Sunday, in the 32nd round of La Liga, stressed that the team “mentally stronger” will be “the closest” to crown “the title.
“I have no doubt that the mental factor will be the password,” said Simeone at the press conference after the game at the San Mames Stadium.
He added: “We did not provide the required performance in the first half, while things changed in the second half … the team that creates the required mental balance will be closer to the La Liga title.”
The “Cholo” explained that although his team “is moving many points away” ahead of Real Madrid and Barcelona, there was a belief that both teams “would not get out of the fight for the title”, which Sevilla joined as well.
Asked about the performance of Al Atleti during the first half that witnessed the superiority of the owners of the field, Simeone admitted that “when situations recur and the coach can not find a solution, it is the problem of the coach, not the team.”
And he completed, “The current situation, which I like, creates important situations for us, because we have become at least 4 teams in the running for the title, and the mentally stronger team will be the closest to winning La Liga.”
He added: “Our fate is always at the feet of our players, and it will also depend on this mental strength, as well as the personality of the team and its ability to decide, in important moments.”
With the loss of the three points, the balance of Al Atleti is frozen at 73 points, so its lead is in danger, as it will go to Barcelona (71 points), if it wins its postponed game, next Thursday, in front of Granada. at the Camp Nou stadium.
