Simeone: We must win titles to take the next step

In this round of the league, Atletico Madrid will face Celta at home. Coach Simeone spoke about his feelings after being eliminated from the Champions League at the pre-match press conference.

Atletico Madrid will participate in the Champions League for the 14th consecutive year. Are you satisfied with this goal?

It's very important, it's the club's number one goal, just like Real Madrid and Barcelona take winning the championship as their number one goal, ours is to advance to the Champions League, we are pursuing to be able to get closer to winning the championship one day. This is a difficult season to summarise. On the one hand, we narrowly lost the Copa del Rey final on penalties, and we also played at a high level in the Champions League semi-finals, as well as that wonderful quarter-final against Barcelona. We have done our best within our capabilities, even exceeding expectations. It's really not easy to get to this stage, and being so close to the championship will also make you feel that you can continue to go on. You will be angry, disappointed, and furious, but I am fine now.

I will ask myself, and then tell myself that we should be grateful for everything we have experienced over the years. I clearly remember what we were like in the beginning, and I also know where we are now. The growth of the club is huge. If we want to continue to maintain this expectation and get opportunities like this year, the only way is to keep trying and working hard.

In 14 years, we have reached the Champions League semi-finals four times and the Champions League final twice, and we have always been in contention. That position seems far away from us, but it is not that far. We are closer to our goal than we think, but we must continue to work hard in all aspects. If we do well in all aspects, the team will continue to improve. The team is trying to keep up with the club's progress. The club's development is far ahead of the team, which helps us to be recognised by more people around the world and makes us more passionate.

Although I am angry and sad, I am very grateful to my players, and also to the fans who have always supported the team this season, and to the management who brought us excellent players, because without these, we would not have achieved today's results. I would also like to thank the coaching staff for giving full play to the players' abilities. We will continue to move in this direction. The two days of anger and sadness have passed, and now it's time to continue fighting.

What makes you expect to hit the Champions League again?

It's the players, 100% the players. Look at our lineup, this is why I am full of expectations.

How to get the players out of the pain and regain their strength?

The players are very clear about where they are. Yesterday, I thanked them for their excellent performance this season. Although we have gained nothing, I thank everyone for their criticism, because it motivates us to keep improving. After experiencing this season, if we want to go further next season, we have to win the championship. It's a good thing to have criticism. We need criticism. It's part of life. It's impossible to always have positive comments. Some criticisms are constructive, some are not, but we are very clear about our position. As long as I am here, we will continue to compete.

Have you talked to Koke about his future?

There are so many games that we don't have a chance to talk about it in detail. I won't tell you until I have exchanged ideas and future plans with him. It would be more appropriate to explain my feelings, opinions and his thoughts after I have talked to him.

What do you think of the team's mood?

Tomorrow we will return to our stadium and play in front of our fans, who will decide whether to continue to support the team. It is understandable that fans want to win. We must continue to work hard to let everyone see our attitude of going all out, and then we must learn to accept. It is difficult to accept unfavourable results, It's easy to persuade others to accept it, but it's much harder when it happens to you. Sometimes things happen according to God's will, not our will, and sometimes God's plan is better than ours.

Have you ever seen such a turbulent Real Madrid?

You know me, I respect others very much, I understand your question, but I maintain respect for this kind of thing, I am not qualified to express my opinion, because I am not on their side.

If a child asks you: "Dad, why are we Atletico Madrid fans?" How would you answer?

Children born in these 14 years understand why they are Atletico Madrid fans and don't need to ask.