Atletico Madrid star Alex Baena explains what went wrong against Barcelona: ‘We didn’t give that 120%’

Atletico Madrid star Alex Baena explains what went wrong against Barcelona: ‘We didn’t give that 120%’ Atletico Madrid midfielder Alex Baena believes his side paid the price for losing intensity during the second half of their 2-1 defeat against Barcelona at the Metropolitano.  The Spanish international felt Diego Simeone’s team had competed at the same level as Hansi Flick’s side during the opening period but admitted that Barcelona’s ability to punish even a slight drop in intensity ultimately proved decisive. Baena was particularly frustrated by Atletico’s lack of clinical finishing, arguing that his team created enough opportunities to get a better result.  Baena explains why Atletico Madrid failed to beat Barcelona Atletico created several promising situations against Barcelona but struggled to convert their opportunities into goals.  Baena acknowledged that his team had caused problems for the visitors, although their inefficiency in front of goal prevented them from taking greater advantage. “We caused them a lot of trouble, but we weren’t clinical in front of goal. We played a very good match.  “Either side could have come away with the win, and this is a long season – this is the path we need to follow,” he began his assessment, according to AS . Baena admits Atletico Madrid’s intensity dropped in the second half. (Photo by Angel Martinez/Getty Images) Barcelona, on their part, showed greater efficiency in decisive moments, with Fermin Lopez scoring twice to complete the comeback.  That difference proved particularly costly for Atletico given the opportunities Baena believed his team had created. Atletico’s intensity drops as Barcelona take control Baena identified the change in possession and intensity after half-time as a major reason behind Atletico’s inability to maintain their first-half performance.  He argued that allowing Barcelona greater control of the ball inevitably makes life difficult against a team comfortable dominating possession. “When you let Barça have more possession, they take control of the match. We didn’t give that 120% we’d given in the first half, and when you drop to 100%, Barça dominate you.  “We’ll try to keep giving 120 per cent for the full 90 minutes because that’s where the team needs to improve.” Barcelona were more clinical than Atletico Madrid. (Photo by David Ramos/Getty Images) Baena also returned to the issue of finishing when explaining the difference between the teams. “That was the difference: they had three or four chances and scored twice, whilst we had far too many and weren’t able to put one away. And that’s what happens when you can’t score.” Baena backs Atletico’s level against Barcelona and Bayern Munich Despite the defeat, Baena remained convinced that Atletico can compete with Europe’s strongest sides when they maintain their highest performance levels. Asked whether Atletico were on a par with Bayern Munich and Barcelona, two teams that beat Atletico within a week, the midfielder pointed to the opening 45 minutes as evidence of his team’s capabilities. “If you watched the first half today, we were on the same level. That’s the improvement: if you drop to 100%, they’ll punish you.  “The difference lies in being able to maintain that 120%,” he concluded.