Diego Simeone and Jan Oblak clash after Atletico Madrid 3-0 loss to Rayo Vallecano | OneFootball

Atletico Madrid fell 3-0 to Rayo Vallecano at Butarque, slipping to fourth and 15 points behind new leaders Real Madrid. Jan Oblak publicly criticised the display, while Diego Simeone held a different view.

The defeat came after Thursday’s win over Barcelona and amid rotation with Wednesday’s Champions League meeting with Club Brugge in mind, and it ranked among their worst this season. According to Diario AS, Simeone later responded to his goalkeeper’s remarks.

Oblak said results like this are why their title hopes have effectively gone, insisting you cannot pick matches and must compete at the highest level. He accepted Rayo were better and that Atleti deserved to lose.

Asked why the level dropped from the Barcelona win, he admitted there was no clear explanation. He added that their mindset is preventing them from stringing wins together and that the team failed to stand up on the day.

Simeone said he did not agree with Oblak’s assessment, arguing the side gave what it could. He noted Rayo were superior but felt there was no lack of effort, and said focus now turns to Wednesday.

Source: Football Espana