I'm not inside his body but I'll wait for him: what did Simeone say about Alvarez after Barcelona's comeback?

The Argentine coach declares: Atletico's defeat to Barcelona was deserved

Diego Simeone took pride in his players despite Atletico Madrid's 2-1 defeat to Barcelona at the Metropolitano in the twelfth round of the Spanish league, insisting his side put in a strong display and came close to a better result but lacked precision with the final touch.

Atletico led in the first half. Fermin Lopez levelled for Barcelona, then struck again to win it for the Catalans, who walked away with three precious points from the heart of the Metropolitano.

Simeone declared himself satisfied with his players after the match despite the result, pointing out that his team put Barcelona under pressure but failed to take the chances that came their way as they should have.

As reported by Spanish newspaper "AS", he said: "I am completely satisfied with the players' performance, and there is no room for complaint. We put the opposing team's players in a difficult position, and we lacked the decisive final touch that we have shown on other occasions, while Barcelona were very confident and took their chances expertly. I am proud of the players, I enjoyed the match, and I am very happy with everyone's performance."

Asked whether the result was fair, the Argentine replied: "Yes, the result is fair because they scored two goals and we scored one," before turning to the impact of his substitutions and the physical side on his team's second-half performance.

Simeone could not say for certain that the decline was down to physical reasons, explaining it had more to do with how his substitutes performed, whether they delivered a better or lower level than expected.

"The match went as we planned it, and we had chances through Baena and Sorloth, and Barcelona did not have many chances despite having possession of the ball, but I am satisfied with the team, as we are still in a building phase, and we have aspects we need to improve and players who need to keep developing," he continued.

On his expectations of the substitutes, Simeone said he always hopes those coming on deliver something exceptional, but that it is not always possible.

"Sometimes the course of the match or the opponent does not allow us to do that, and I am left with the feeling that we gave our very best," he said. "Against a strong opponent, time is important. We played 50 good minutes, which was the amount we had, then the opponent took control of the play and was more decisive than us."

Simeone defends Julian Alvarez

Turning to Julian Alvarez, the Atletico boss insisted the Argentine striker had an influential match despite failing to score: "He played a decisive match, and was involved in three attacks, in addition to a decisive pass to Giuliano, and in the second half he had a chance during which he tried to chip the ball over the goalkeeper, then played a cross to Baena, so what more could we ask for?"

"We all wish we had scored that goal, but we will wait for him (Alvarez). We need him, because if we want to reach what we aspire to, we need him, otherwise we will not get there," he added. Simeone also refused to link the missed chances with a lack of confidence, insisting: "I am not inside his body, but he has our confidence."

Alvarez spent last summer's transfer window dreaming of a move to Barcelona, with the Catalan club keen to sign him, but Atletico refused to let him go to the Blaugrana.

Speaking later to "Movistar Plus", Simeone again stressed his satisfaction, insisting Atletico put in a superb match and carried out their plan for long periods but lacked the required precision in the big games.

"I am proud of the players, it was a superb and excellent match, we played the way we wanted for long periods, but we lacked precision in the final touch that such matches require, and in the end we lost to a team that we know is very effective at scoring," he said.

Explaining the difference between the two halves, he added: "Barcelona had possession of the ball but did not create many chances to score, we had chances through Julian, Baena and Sorloth, which came from Julian's cross, whereas they had one chance and it was a goal."

Back to Alvarez he went, describing him as an exceptional player who is greatly loved within the team and insisting the coaching staff would work with him to help him rediscover his best.

"He is an exceptional player, we love him dearly and we need him, and we need the best of Julian, and we will work with him," he said. "Out of five good scoring chances for the team, he contributed to three or four of them, he was only missing the goal that would have made him shine, but it will come without fail."

Two straight defeats behind them, the Atletico manager signed off with a plea for perspective, confining himself to a single word: "Calm."