Cholo Praises Álvarez’s Full 90 Minutes
Atlético Madrid fell 2-1 to Liverpool at Anfield in their Champions League opener, yet Diego Simeone left the press conference talking almost exclusively about one man. Julián Álvarez, he insisted, delivered exactly the performance he’d hoped for.
“Julián’s game was very good. He took charge of the ball the whole time, from minute one to minute 90. And that genuinely makes me happy,” Simeone said afterward. High praise, especially given the result went against his side.
Interestingly, Álvarez’s inclusion in the starting eleven wasn’t a foregone conclusion. Simeone revealed he changed his mind only after a pre-match conversation with the striker. “Waking up in the morning, talking to him for a bit, seeing him in great shape, and, fortunately, choosing to let him play, because he had the kind of game I expected him to have,” the Argentine coach explained.
That trust paid off individually, even as the collective result disappointed. Álvarez carried Atlético’s attacking threat throughout, showing the composure and work rate Simeone has consistently praised since his arrival from Manchester City.
Defensively, though, Simeone struck a more critical tone. Liverpool’s second-half goal proved decisive, and Atlético struggled to find clarity once Jurgen Klopp’s successors adjusted. “In the second half they found the goal, we wanted to look for alternatives, but we lacked clarity to attack the way we did in the first half,” Simeone admitted.
He also pointed to a worrying defensive pattern building across recent matches. Bilbao scored three against them recently, Sevilla added one, Villarreal managed two, and now Liverpool struck twice. “We have to adjust the defensive side because it’s clear we’re not being solid enough,” Simeone conceded honestly.
Still, individual moments offered genuine encouragement. Álvarez recovering possession around Liverpool’s equalizing sequence stood out as one example Simeone flagged for improvement, not blame.
Álvarez’s Season Story Continues
This praise arrives amid a turbulent personal backdrop for Álvarez. Just weeks earlier, sections of Atlético’s own support booed him during a league match against Málaga, frustrated by transfer speculation swirling around his future.
Simeone responded firmly then too, backing his forward publicly and refusing to fuel the controversy. “We need outstanding strikers, and we have one of them, and we must keep him,” he told reporters at the time. Goalkeeper Jan Oblak echoed that support, insisting the dressing room stood firmly behind their teammate.
Since then, Álvarez has quietly answered doubters through performances rather than words. His numbers since joining from Manchester City remain difficult to dispute, and Wednesday’s Champions League showing reinforced that trend further.
Atlético now face pressure to tighten things defensively before their next continental test. Simeone’s honesty about recent goals conceded suggests internal reviews are already underway at the club’s training ground.
For Álvarez himself, full trust from his manager matters enormously heading into a long European campaign. Wednesday’s night at Anfield, despite the scoreline, offered another reminder of his growing importance to this Atlético side.
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Simeone’s message was clear: the result stung, but Álvarez did his job.