'This has been a learning experience for me' - Diego Simeone admits tactical mistake in Atletico Madrid's opening La Liga defeat

Simeone has admitted he made a tactical mistake in his side's 2-1 defeat to Espanyol on the opening day of the La Liga season. According to a report from Diario AS, Simeone reflected on his decision to substitute key players such as Thiago Almada, Alex Baena and Julian Alvarez, which he now believes was an error. The substitutions came with the score at 1-0 and 1-1, and Espanyol went on to score two second-half goals to secure the win.

The defeat at the RCDE Stadium is a disappointing start to the 2025-26 campaign for Atletico, who have struggled on the road and failed to capitalise on a strong transfer window. Despite a number of new signings, including Giacomo Raspadori, Thiago Almada, Matteo Ruggeri, Marc Pubill, and Santiago Mourino, their familiar vulnerabilities reappeared. The loss marks the first time an Atletico side under Simeone has lost its opening league match.

Speaking after the match, Simeone said: "We lost the game, first of all. The result hurts us. But I, starting the season, need to hold on to the very good things that were seen. We need to be more efficient, we had Julian’s chance that could have been a goal after a good play by the team. Football is wonderful, they had that set piece and it was 1-1 and then 2-1 and we end up with zero points." On his substitutions, he added: "I think this has been a learning experience for myself. There is a learning for me, you’ll see."

Atletico will aim to bounce back from this opening-day defeat when they host Elche in their first home fixture of the season on Saturday, August 23. The team will be keen to get their campaign on track at the Riyadh Air Metropolitano stadium. The match against Elche will be followed by a trip to Deportivo Alaves on August 30.