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Goalkeeper Jan Oblak has denied that Atlético de Madrid are facing a “crisis” after a 1-0 defeat to Chelsea in the Champions League on Tuesday saw La Liga leaders lose consecutive games for the first time. this season.
The result of the first leg of the round of 16 in Bucharest, in which Olivier Giroud’s aerial kick gave the Premier League team the lead before the return leg at Stamford Bridge on March 17, followed the defeat. Atlético against Levante on Saturday.
– Chelsea ratings: Tuchel, Giroud 8/10 in Chelsea win
“I don’t think it’s a crisis,” Oblak said. “Yes, it is different from what we have experienced for the rest of the season, but [football] it is so. This team is strong. We will go through this. We weren’t perfect in December and January and we’re not bad now. “
Atlético have now failed to keep a clean sheet in their last eight games in all competitions, their worst defensive streak during manager Diego Simeone’s decade at the helm.
“We will work on that,” Simeone said. “We have an important game with Villarreal on Sunday. We are not getting results … Seeing the effort of the team and knowing the explanation of the moment we are in, I feel good. I trust the team that we have.
“If you had told me in September that we would lose this first leg 1-0 and we would be the best in the league, I would have taken it for sure. We will sort it out. This is clearly not ‘a good time.’
Atlético’s lead over Real Madrid at the top of the La Liga table was reduced to three points, with one game in hand, when they were beaten by Levante, and Chelsea’s defeat is another blow to morale.
“Defeats are tough, but we always bounce back,” Captain Koke said. “We are the same team that has a streak of eight victories in the League … We have had a bad week, that’s the reality, but we have to keep fighting. Atlético de Madrid always picks up again. We have to go out to win the game of return “.
He refused to blame Atlético’s need to play their stage “at home” in Bucharest, due to restrictions on flights from the United Kingdom to Spain, for the performance, which made the team miss a single shot. to door.
“We know what the world is like right now,” he said. “We couldn’t play at home, but it doesn’t matter. We have to adapt. We have to go to London and win. If we score twice, we will pass.”
