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Atletico hitting a low point under coach Simeone
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ATLETICO Madrid is not used to struggling, not under coach Diego Simeone.
After its third loss in five Spanish league games on Monday, Atletico dropped to sixth place — its worst position at this point in the season since Simeone took charge in 2011.
The 0-3 loss at Villarreal left Atletico 12 points behind leader Real Madrid after 15 matches. It also trails Barcelona, Sevilla, Villarreal and Real Sociedad.
“There have been some mistakes,” said Simeone, who won the title with Atletico in 2014. “We accept the criticism. When a team loses two games in a row, things need to improve.”
Atletico also lost 0-1 at Bayern Munich in the UEFA Champions League, a result that snapped the team’s perfect record in the European competition. It was held to a disappointing 0-0 draw at home against Espanyol in its previous league game. One of its recent losses in the league was a demoralizing 0-3 setback against Real at home in the city derby.
“The team is trying its best to get in position to win,” Simeone said. “But in these last few games we are not having any luck, especially with the scoring chances, and that leads to losses. We have to keep working, because it’s the only way we can improve.”
Atletico has not been worse than third in the league since a fifth-place finish in 2011-12. The club was only 10th after 15 matches that season, but it improved significantly after Simeone took over in December 2011. Atletico was third at the end of the following season and won the league in 2013-14 to end a drought of nearly two decades.
Atletico was third again the last two seasons, and now it has some work to do just to secure a Champions League spot. “Obviously we have to improve if we want to fight for the spots atop the standings,” Atletico captain Gabi Fernandez said.
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