Simeone Explains Why He Subbed Lookman Despite His Goal in Atletico’s Painful Copa Del Rey Loss
- Diego Simeone has opened up on why he substituted Ademola Lookman during the Copa del Rey final
- Atletico Madrid lost to Real Sociedad on penalties, missing their chance to win their first trophy since 2021
- The manager substituted Lookman in the 62nd minute, playing more than one hour without the Nigerian
Atletico Madrid head coach Diego Simeone has opened up on why he substituted Ademola Lookman early in the second half of the Copa del Rey final.
Atletico Madrid suffered a painful loss to Real Sociedad on penalties in the final after an intense 2-2 draw in 120 minutes between the two sides.
Source: Getty Images
For Real Sociedad, it was their first trophy since 2020, while for Simeone’s side, it was a missed chance to win their first trophy since winning La Liga title in 2021.
Ander Barrenetxea opened the scoring for Sociedad in the first minute, and Lookman equalised in the 18th minute with a brilliant goal.
Mikel Oyarzabal scored from the penalty spot and ensured that Sociedad led at halftime. Julian Alvarez forced an equaliser in the 83rd minute.
Per Atletico's official report, the match went into penalties after nothing could separate the two sides. Alexander Sorloth and Alvarez missed Atletico’s first two kicks, condemning Los Rojiblancos to a loss.
Why Simeone subbed Lookman
Diego Simeone substituted Lookman in the 62nd minute despite his team being behind and needing a goal, raising questions from fans over what has become a customary one-hour mark substitution.
The manager tried to explain why he substituted the Super Eagles forward, describing it as how he understood it.
“I understood that with Sørloth up front we could create more chances and that Julián could fulfil the role Lookman was playing,” he said as quoted by Into the Calderon.
“Then we moved Baena out to the left. That’s how I understood the substitution.”
The Argentine manager admitted that his team’s poor start cost them victory in a crucial final, allowing their opponents to gain an advantage.
“We didn’t start the first half well. From the 15th minute onwards, we began to improve, showing intensity, depth and link-up play,” he added.
“Then we slipped back a bit into what you mentioned: less intensity, less ball recovery, fewer duels won. They didn’t create many chances, but we didn’t play as we did in the second half.”
Source: Getty Images
Atletico must dust themselves up immediately and start for their La Liga matches against Elche and Athletic Bilbao, after which they will face Arsenal in the UEFA Champions League semi-final.
Simeone admits that he is yet to start thinking about their next matches, particularly Arsenal, as the final defeat still hurts him.
“I’m not thinking about Arsenal. This really hurts. We needed to win, and we couldn’t. We all gave it our all, and that gives me some peace of mind,” he added.
Lookman reveals Simeone’s demands
Legit.ng previously reported that Ademola Lookman revealed Diego Simeone's demands from him despite a bright start to life at Atletico Madrid.
The Super Eagles forward admitted that his manager keeps demanding all-round improvement from him, particularly in his defensive contribution.
Source: Legit.ng
