Why Ademola Lookman started on the bench against Rayo Vallecano

Atletico Madrid head coach Diego Simeone has revealed why he benched most of his first-team players, including Ademola Lookman, against Rayo Vallecano, Afrik Foot reports.

Lookman, Julian Alvarez and Antoine Griezmann were pivotal in Atletico’s 4-0 win over Barcelona in the Copa Del Rey, but Simeone opted to place nine of the players that started against Hansi Flick’s side on the bench yesterday.

That decision came back to haunt the Argentine as Los Rojiblancos lost to Rayo Vallecano, and in turn, dropped down to fourth on the La Liga table.

Why Lookman was benched against Rayo Vallecano

Prior to the clash, Diego Simeone said he would make changes, especially regarding the new signings, to get the best out of them.

“I’m not sure yet who will start tomorrow, but we have been working, as you see every day, with the players in an imaginary game.

“I always tell the players that we decide the lineup before the game, so in the time I have until tomorrow, we will decide who starts.

“Obed Vargas is trying to fit into the team, as are Rodrigo Mendoza and Lookman. All three are in the same situation.

“They’ve come to help us, and we hope that little by little they’ll improve in training so that we can get more out of them in matches,” the 55-year-old said in quotes revealed by Into the Calderon.

Following the loss, Simeone admitted he was surprised that a team like Atletico could suffer a reduction in quality following the change of personnel.

“I don’t think it was intensity. People often talk about intensity, desire to win, attitude, but we played badly. It’s not about intensity, attitude, or energy; it’s because they were better.

“The players that were benched will have another chance, because this is everyone’s responsibility.

“To get where we want to be, compete in the Champions League, advance in the Cup and fight until the end in La Liga, we need everyone,” the ex-Inter Milan midfielder continued.

This isn’t about 10 players, it’s about all 20 or 22 of us. So the coaching staff and the team have to be prepared to compete and interpret the games in the best possible way.

“There’s no need to explain. The opponent was better. We tried to create several plays on the right side where we were able to make good progress, but we couldn’t find a way to score, and they were decisive, pressed well, didn’t give us time to think, and played a good game, while we couldn’t play the game we wanted to play,” Diego Simeone concluded.

Atletico Madrid will play against Club Brugge in the UEFA Champions League play-offs.