Madrid [Spain], May 12: Diego Simeone has been left wondering what might have been after seeing Atletico Madrid dump "possibly the best team in the world" out of two different cup competitions this season. Barcelona clinched a 29th La Liga title with three games to spare on Sunday after a 2-0 home win over arch-rivals Real Madrid, but bowed out of both the Champions League and the Copa Del Rey at the hands of Atleti.
Simeone's men, however, lie a distant fourth in the league table heading into Tuesday night's trip to Osasuna, some 28 points behind the Catalan giants, and that has left the Argentinian with food for thought. He told a press conference: "Honestly - we've been talking about it all season - Barca are possibly the best team in the world, and they won a very deserved league from start to finish.
"Last year, they won it in the same way with incredible force. Congratulations to them. The truth is they play incredible football. "I was watching yesterday's game thinking, 'we knocked Barcelona out twice, my God!" Atleti head for Estadio El Sadar having lost nine of their last 13 games in all competitions, a return which has left them six points adrift of Villarreal in third place and with only a theoretical chance of overhauling them. Simeone, who will end the season empty-handed, but with Champions League qualification already assured, said: "We have a minimal chance." (DPA)
Source: Qatar Tribune
