Atletico Madrid manager Diego Simeone praised Mikel Arteta and Arsenal, but could not stop subtle attacks
Diego Simeone brought up finances after his team lost to Arsenal (Image: UEFA via Getty Images)
Despite admitting the Gunners deserved to reach the Champions League final, manager Diego Simeone subtly criticized Arsenal, citing how much they spent on transfers. Bukayo Saka scored the decisive goal just before half-time to give the Gunners a 2-1 aggregate victory in the semi-final.
They will face either Bayern Munich or Paris Saint-Germain in Budapest on May 30th. There were heated moments towards the end of the game when Atleti’s head coach appeared to shove Arsenal’s sporting director Andrea Berta on the touchline.
There were no complaints from Simeone after the match, with the Argentine praising Mikel Arteta. But he couldn’t resist mentioning the Gunners’ purchasing power. Arsenal spent around £250m last summer on star signings such as Victor Gokeres, Ebelesi Eze and Martin Zvimendi.
“I think Mikel Arteta has done a great job at Arsenal. He has been aiming for a long time to get this far, get to the Champions League (final) and win the league,” Simeone said.
Follow the Arsenal FB page! For the latest Gunners news and details, visit our dedicated Facebook page.
“They have incredible economic power and that’s tied into what they do. I’m really happy for them. They deserve it. They’ve worked hard over the years.”
read more: Declan Rice robs Chelsea after Arsenal beat Atletico Madrid to book their place in the Champions League finalread more: Wayne Rooney takes aim at Arsenal celebrations seconds after advancing to Champions League final
In tense moments approaching full-time, Simeone remained uncomplaining, adding: “Debate? Nothing to say, we lost. Congratulations to Arsenal, they have a very good competition.”
“They have a team and a coach that I like. They follow a consistent project with strong financial support. Congratulations to them and we will focus on our work.”
After the match, Simeone praised Mikel Arteta (Image: UEFA via Getty Images)
After Manchester City’s 3-3 draw with Everton on Monday, leaving the Premier League title race in the hands of Arsenal, who secured victory over Atleti just 24 hours later, Arteta’s side are now four games away from scoring a monumental brace and clinching the biggest campaign in the club’s 140-year history.
Arteta said: “It was a great night. We made history together again. I couldn’t be happier and prouder for everyone involved in this football club.”
Arteta led wild post-match celebrations (Image: James Gill – Danehouse/Getty Images)
“The supporters were with us for every ball. They made this game special and unique. I’ve never felt like that in this stadium.”
“We knew how much this meant to everyone, so we gave it our all and the players did a great job. And after 20 years, we’re back in the Champions League final for the second time in our history.”
Join our new WhatsApp community and receive Mirror Football content every day. Community members also receive special offers, promotions, and advertisements from us and our partners. If you don’t like our community, you can check it out whenever you like. If you are interested, please read our privacy notice.
Sky Sports, HBO Max, Netflix, Disney+ and Ultimate TV packages
Sky has upgraded its Ultimate TV and Sky Sports bundles to include HBO Max, Netflix, Disney+, discovery+ and Hayu, plus 135 channels and complete coverage of the Premier League and EFL from Sky.
Sky has over 1,400 live matches across the Premier League, EFL and more, with at least 215 of them live from the top flight, along with F1, darts and golf.
