Atletico Madrid is struggling to reverse its fortunes, suffering a 1-0 defeat at Real Betis on Sunday following a disappointing home loss to Lille in the Champions League.
The match was decided early, with an own goal by defender Jose Maria Gimenez just five minutes in, marking Atletico's second straight defeat.
In its last six matches across all competitions, Atletico has managed only one win – a 3-1 triumph over Leganes in La Liga last weekend. Prior to that, the team settled for league draws against Real Madrid and Real Sociedad and endured a 4-1 loss at Benfica in the Champions League.
"We know what we have to do, what we need to work on,” Simeone said. "It's clear to me that soccer is all about getting the work done, and when you can't find that dynamic, you end up suffering."
On the plus side, Atletico had been unbeaten in 11 consecutive league matches until Sunday's defeat in Seville.
"We weren't able to play the type of game we wanted to play,” Simeone said. "They got off to a strong start and were lucky to get the early goal.”
Gimenez found his own net while trying to clear a low cross into the area in the fourth minute at the Benito Villamarin Stadium.
The loss kept the Madrid club in fourth place, one point behind third-place Villarreal and four points behind city rival Real Madrid, which lost 4-0 to Barcelona at home in Saturday's Clasico.
Atletico is 10 points behind leader Barcelona after 11 rounds.
Betis moved to fifth place, two points behind Atletico. Manuel Pellegrini’s team has won five of its last eight league matches, including two of its last three games.
It was Betis' second home win against Atletico in their last 16 league matches and the first since 2019.
Sixth-place Osasuna picked up first-half goals in a 2-0 victory at Real Sociedad to end a two-game winless streak. Sociedad dropped to 12th place.
Leganes scored three second-half goals in a 3-0 win over Celta Vigo, while Getafe converted a 90th-minute equalizer in a 1-1 home draw against last-place Valencia, which is winless in five consecutive matches.
