Simeone Explains Why He Subbed Lookman Despite His Goal in Atletico’s Painful Copa Del Rey Loss
- Manager Diego Simeone 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 explained his decision to substitute Ademola Lookman early in the second half of the Copa del Rey final.
Atletico suffered a painful loss to Real Sociedad on penalties following an intense 2-2 draw after 120 minutes of play.
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 the La Liga title in 2021.
Ander Barrenetxea opened the scoring for Txuriurdin in the very 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, with Julian Alvarez forcing an equaliser in the 83rd minute.
According to Atletico's official report, the game proceeded into penalties after nothing could separate the two sides.
Alexander Sorloth and Alvarez missed Atletico’s first two kicks from the spot, condemning Los Rojiblancos to a loss in Seville.
Why Simeone subbed Lookman in Copa final
Diego Simeone substituted Lookman in the 62nd minute despite his team being behind and in need of a goal.
This decision raised questions from fans regarding 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.
As quoted by Into the Calderon, he said:
“I understood that with Sørloth up front, we could create more chances and that Julián could fulfil the role Lookman was playing. Then we moved Baena out to the left. That’s how I understood the substitution.”
Kenyan journalist Martin Moses slammed Simeone, saying he had earned the criticism for regularly substituting the Nigerian star early in matches.
"Simeone deserves whatever he gets. Lookman is a goal threat and can make things happen when he's on the pitch," he told Legit.ng.
"The result of the final could have gone either way, but having Lookman on the pitch would have given Atletico a chance, but the manager took him off when he was still behind."
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 now recover quickly for their La Liga matches against Elche and Athletic Bilbao, after which they will face Arsenal in the UEFA Champions League semi-final.
Simeone admitted that he has yet to start thinking about their next matches, particularly the headline clash with the Gunners, as the final defeat is still hurting 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.”
Lookman outlines Simeone’s demands from him
Legit.ng previously reported that Ademola Lookman had shared Diego Simeone's demands from him despite a bright start to life at Atletico Madrid.
The Super Eagles forward admitted that his manager had demanded improvement from him in all areas, particularly in his defensive contributions.
Proofreading by Funmilayo Aremu, copy editor at Legit.ng.
Source: Legit.ng
