Atletico must ´manage the situation´, says Simeone amid poor form

Diego Simeone insisted Atletico Madrid will “manage the situation”, as their poor form continued against Celta Vigo on Saturday.

On the back of their Champions League semi-final exit at the hands of Arsenal on Tuesday, Atleti were beaten 1-0 by Celta at Riyadh Air Metropolitano.

Despite producing 2.04 xG to Celta’s 0.13, Atletico were unable to take their chances, with Ademola Lookman striking the woodwork, while Borja Iglesias scored with the visitors’ only shot on target.

It is the first time Atleti have lost to Celta in 15 LaLiga matches (W9 D5), bringing an end to their longest unbeaten run against the Galicians in the competition.

Including the 2025 Club World Cup, Simeone’s side have lost 19 of their 61 matches this season across all competitions, their second-highest tally of defeats in a single campaign in the 21st century, behind the 2009-10 season (24).

Atleti lost to Real Sociedad on penalties in last month’s Copa del Rey final, while a win over Celta would have confirmed their place in next season’s Champions League.

19 – Incluido el Mundial de Clubes 2025, el Atlético de Madrid ha perdido 19 de sus 61 partidos esta temporada en todas las competiciones (32V 10E 19D), su segundo registro más alto de derrotas en una misma campaña en el siglo XXI, tras la 2009/10 (64P 23V 17E 24D).

Desgaste. pic.twitter.com/uksZMyz7oU

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“Right now, we need to manage the situation,” Simeone said. “The players have played a crucial role in La Liga, achieving the club’s objective of qualifying for the Champions League.

“We competed very well in the Champions League, performing better than expected. In the Copa del Rey, we went as far as we could, losing on penalties.

“I don’t need to tell them anything; we just need to manage the situation, finish strong, talk to them, thank them for their effort, and that’s about it.

“It’s about managing the moment, just like we manage other different moments.”

Atleti face Osasuna on May 12, before they host Girona in their final home game of the season next weekend.