MADRID -- Atletico Madrid is not used to struggling like this, not under coach Diego Simeone. Yandy Diaz Jersey .After its third loss in five Spanish league games on Monday, Atletico dropped to sixth place -- its worst position at this point in the season since Simeone took charge in 2011.The 3-0 loss at Villarreal left Atletico 12 points behind leader Real Madrid after 15 matches. It also trails Barcelona, Sevilla, Villarreal and Real Sociedad.There have been some mistakes, said Simeone, who won the title with Atletico in 2014. We accept the criticism. When a team loses two games in a row, things need to improve.Atletico also lost 1-0 at Bayern Munich in the Champions League, a result that snapped the teams perfect record in the European competition. It was held to a disappointing 0-0 draw at home against Espanyol in its previous Spanish league game. One of its recent losses in the league was a demoralizing 3-0 setback against Madrid at home in the city derby.The team is trying its best to get in position to win, Simeone said. But in these last few games we are not having any luck, especially with the scoring chances, and that leads to losses. We have to keep working, because its the only way we can improve.Atletico has not been worse than third in the league since a fifth-place finish in 2011-12. The club was only 10th after 15 matches that season, but it improved significantly after Simeone took over in December 2011. Atletico was third at the end of the following season and won the league in 2013-14 to end a drought of nearly two decades.Atletico was third again the last two seasons, and now it has some work to do just to secure a Champions League spot.Obviously we have to improve if we want to fight for the spots atop the standings, Atletico captain Gabi Fernandez said.The letdown comes as a surprise as Atletico entered the season with high expectations. Thanks to a significant increase in income from television rights, Simeone was able to add important pieces to the squad and fans expected Atletico to move even closer to the perennial powerhouses of Barcelona and Madrid.But Simeone started experimenting with different formations and the team struggled with inconsistency. The squads offense got a boost but the usually stout defense lost some of its strength. Atletico conceded 11 goals in its last seven league games, and 14 in 15 games, only four goals less than the 18 it conceded in all 38 games in the league last season.We have to improve and stop allowing so many goals, Fernandez said.To make things worse for Simeone, he may be without goalkeeper Jan Oblak for a long period because he dislocated his left shoulder in the game against Villarreal, having to be substituted in the 40th minute at El Madrigal Stadium. Defensive midfielder Tiago Mendes also left the game before halftime because of a discomfort in his right knee.Atleticos next game is Saturday against 10th-place Las Palmas at the Vicente Calderon Stadium.There is still a lot of league ahead of us, Atletico defender Stefan Savic said. Its not all lost. Last year Barcelona was 12 points in front and we got to within two at one stage. We are going through a difficult moment but we will rebound.---Tales Azzoni on Twitter: http://twitter.com/tazzoni Don Zimmer Jersey . Andrew Luck lost his favourite target and the Indianapolis locker room lost one of its most revered leaders when Reggie Wayne was diagnosed Monday with a torn anterior cruciate ligament in his right knee that will cost him the rest of the season. Cole Sulser Rays Jersey . Brett Kulak and Jackson Houck of the Vancouver Giants were each charged with assault causing bodily harm on Aug. 18, according to the B.C. court services. https://www.cheapraysonline.com/676i-bre...ersey-rays.html . But Bourque, who has missed three games with a lower-body injury, wont be in the lineup when the Habs travel to Buffalo to take on the Sabres on Wednesday. ST. PAUL, Minn. -- Zach Parise will miss the Minnesota Wilds game Saturday night against the Dallas Stars and is week to week with a lower body injury.The Wild say Parise was injured during a 4-0 win over Buffalo on Thursday night. The seven-time All-Star is second on Minnesota in scoring with two goals and four assists, and he got his 300th career goal last Sunday. He missed last seasons playoffs with a back injury.Marco Scandella is also out week tto week with a lower body injury. Rays Jerseys 2019. He went to the locker room during the first period after getting his right leg tangled in a scrum Thursday.Scandella has one assist in seven games this season.Minnesota recalled forwards Tyler Graovac and Christoph Bertschy from AHL Iowa and sent down left wing Teemu Pulkkinen. ' ' '