Valverde: "We didn't play the way we wanted to"

Athletic Club never really got going during their 0-1 defeat against Atletico Madrid on Saturday night, according to head coach Ernesto Valverde.

Despite having less possession and fewer chances, the visitors took home all three points thanks to an Antoine Griezmann strike in the second half.

"It was a hard-fought game, we didn't play the way we wanted to," Valverde said during his post-match press conference.

"We tried to get into the box as much as we could in the first half and we had some clear opportunities. Atletico are great team and they made it difficult for us to play in the midfield.

"We didn't concede too much danger either, it's just that it was harder for us to get forward at times because they are strong defensively."

"In the second half, we conceded a goal early on, but we kept trying. Atletico started to sit back deeper and we played in a different way, putting in some crosses, which gave us some chances. But they don't allow you to get forward and it's a struggle to break though their lines."

Despite the result, Valverde tried to take away positives from the performance, particularly the way Los Leones never gave up and always looked to take the iniative.

He said: "You're never happy when you lose. But in general I liked the display because, as in every fixture so far, we never backed down.

"We went for the game right from the start despite the difficulty. This is what it's all about. Everyone leaves everything they've got on the pitch. It's a long fight and now we have to go again for the next one."