Diego Simeone says he never truly considered leaving Atletico Madrid, though he admitted "failure" at falling short in two Champions League finals.
Atletico lost the finals to local rivals Real Madrid in both 2014 and again this May, and after the latest result, the manager said he needed to "think" about his future.
But in an interview with Movistar programme "Espacio Reservado," Simeone said he never intended to look for a new job.
"When I said I had to think, I was talking about the way to keep going with Atletico Madrid. I couldn't have left peacefully," Simeone said.
"I never said I was leaving. I said I needed to think and thinking can be about a mass of different things. For example, the energy with which I've had to present myself to the same group of boys for four and a half years.
"I want to drive them to demand the maximum of themselves and compete again after losing two finals, and that's not easy."
Although he came back to coach Atletico, Simeone said it was difficult to move on after failling short on Europe's biggest stage in two out of three years.
"People are afraid to use the word 'failure', but it's synonymous with not reaching your goal. It's possibly a strong word, but it's the reality of what I felt," he said.
"To reach a final for a second time, with the effort of a huge number of people and a lot of work, and to lose for a second time, was a very hard blow.
"When they say that defeats are water under the bridge, it's a lie. That's not happened to me. Losing those two finals will stay with me for life. No other final will make up for those two defeats.
"Life does not give easy battles to the best warriors, and I consider myself a warrior."