Atletico Madrid defender Stefan Savic believes they should not be criticised for failing to break down Villarreal, who he said spent the whole match defending in Saturday’s 0-0 La Liga draw.
Atletico did not have a single shot on target during the game and had to settle for a second consecutive goalless draw following Wednesday’s stalemate at Huesca. “We tried to win but they closed us down for the whole game,” Savic told reporters.
“They defended well, we couldn’t find a goal but we picked up another point and need to keep looking forward.”
Savic also challenged the notion Atletico are a conservative team, saying Villarreal were the ones who showed no ambition.
“They defended throughout the whole game and then people will say that Atletico only defend,” he added.
“We are prepared to fight for the title and keep playing as we did today, with a high defensive line and pressing high up the pitch, but we were just lacking a goal. We also had chances against Huesca and today we were the better side too.”
Atletico coach Diego Simeone also said his side were always looking to win the match. “We feel bitter because we spent most of the game in their half,” he noted.
“We made them feel uncomfortable, and we leave here with the sensation that we were always looking to win the game and were fully committed but we couldn’t show composure in front of goal.”
Asked why his side never managed to test goalkeeper Sergio Asenjo, Simeone added: “Sometimes it’s difficult to explain when you want to score so badly but you are not able to create goalscoring chances.
“I have to think about the positive thing which is that we showed a great attitude. Right now we’re not getting the results we want, but we are showing the right attitude.”
Villarreal provisionally lead the standings with eight points from five games, while Atletico, who started the campaign two weeks later, have taken five from three.
