Atletico Madrid coach Diego Simeone has taken an indirect swipe at Liverpool counterpart Jurgen Klopp after explaining his embrace for Carlo Ancelotti on Sunday.
Simeone led Atletico Madrid to a 1-0 victory over Real Madrid at the Wanda Metropolitano with Yannick Carrasco scoring the winner from the penalty spot late in the first half. The occasion was Los Blancos’ first domestic fixture since they won La Liga with a 4-0 thrashing of Espanyol the previous weekend.
Following the derby at the weekend, the highly-acclaimed Ancelotti received an embrace and a handshake from opposite number Simeone.
The heart-warming scene was in stark contrast to the one which followed Atletico’s 3-2 defeat by Liverpool in the Champions League group stage earlier this season. After an ill-tempered affair in Spain, Simeone found no time to shake Klopp’s hand and instead ran down the tunnel.
“I’ve already explained myself after the first match,” Simeone told reporters ahead of his side’s 2-0 loss on Merseyside.
“I don’t like the handshake greetings after the match as they are the emotions of two different sides in different emotional minds. So I don’t like that greeting after the match.”
It appears Simeone has softened his stance on shaking rival managers’ hands as he explained whether he takes part in the gesture “depends on the match” after greeting Ancelotti.
“I have shaken hands with [Valencia manager Jose] Bordalas, [and Athletic Bilbao manager] Marcelino too,” he told reporters.
“It depends on the match.
“Sometimes we cross paths and, in that situation, we greet each other. I have admiration for Ancelotti, he is an extraordinary coach. He has won in five different leagues. With the personality like the one he has… he handles himself the same whether he wins or loses.”
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