Diego Simone refuses to get into a war of words with Jurgen Klopp

Diego Simeone has refused to comment on Liverpool boss Jurgen Klopp's jibe about Atletico Madrid failing to play 'proper football' the last time the two sides met in the Champions League.

In last season's quarter-final, Atletico Madrid won 1-0 at the Wanda Metropolitano, before the Reds looked to have turned the tie around in the return leg, going 2-0 up in extra time before caving in and losing 3-2 at Anfield and 4-2 on aggregate.

After the game, Klopp said made waves with his comments when he noted: 'I don't understand, with the quality they have, the football they play. They could play proper football, but they stand deep and have counter-attacks.'

Now, 19 months on, the sides are ready to face off again, this time in the group stages, but when asking what he had to say about Klopp's criticism last year, Simeone responded: 'Nothing'.

Klopp, meanwhile, was happier to elaborate on his comments from 2020 and insisted once again that he doesn't like the style of football Simeone's teams play.

Speaking in his own press conference, he said: 'First and foremost I said after the second game [last season] that I was angry and disappointed about life a little bit, that things go wrong in the world and we have to focus on football and then we played a team full of world class players who defended with all they have.

'Simeone is doing absolutely everything right, Spanish champions, at Atletico for a very long time and a bunch of world class players, keeps them on their toes, I respect what they do.

'Do I like it? Not too much but I like a different style of football. I don’t have to like it, it just has to be successful but in very difficult times for football clubs, they have done an impressive job with signings, have a proper team and look for me like the champions again in LaLiga.

'What I said was for sure influenced by the mood I was in one and a half years ago.'

Elsewhere, Atletico Madrid boss Simeone has accepted his side are meeting a Liverpool team back to their best, and led by the 'extraordinary' Mohamed Salah.

Klopp's team look even stronger this season, have scored three or more goals in all six of their away matches, found the net 33 times in 11 fixtures and have yet to fail to score in any match.

Salah himself has 10 goals in as many appearances and has scored in every match bar one.

A return to the Wanda Metropolitano, the scene of their 2019 Champions League final victory over Tottenham, will be their toughest assignment yet and Simeone is well aware of what is awaiting the Spanish champions.

'All I care about really is Liverpool but Mohamed Salah is an extraordinary player, who has been playing at a fantastic level for the last few years with Liverpool and his national team,' said the Atletico coach.

'Liverpool are going through a fantastic spell of football, they seem to have a different rhythm, and it is a pleasure to see them play.

'They have no fear to leave spaces at the back. They press high, play a high line, have speed.

'(Virgil) Van Dijk has improved solidity in defence, which is important even for an attacking team like Liverpool, and he brings security they didn't have last year.

'I don't expect anything other than a team who will make things very difficult for us.

'We need to match their intensity and then look for our own chances. We will try to find ways to hurt them.

'The last time we faced Liverpool, we won the game at home before we even entered the stadium. I want that to be remembered.'