Alvarez Starts Consecutive Games Without Scoring; Simeone Candidly States Insufficient Opportunity Conversion Ability

In the early morning of August 29, in the third round of La Liga, Atlético Madrid and RCD Espanyol drew 0-0. Argentine forward Julián Álvarez started again but did not return to the field in the second half. Head coach Diego Simeone provided an explanation.

Álvarez has played three games for Atlético Madrid this season, starting two of them. Although he has yet to score for the team, he played the full 81 minutes last Sunday against Girona. In this match against Espanyol, Simeone once again started him, partnering with Norwegian striker Søros in attack. However, surprisingly, at the start of the second half, Simeone made three substitutions, and Álvarez was among those replaced.

Atlético Madrid dominated the first half but failed to convert their advantage into goals. Álvarez had two chances to shoot, one of which was saved by the opposing goalkeeper Juan García, missing his chance to score his first goal for Atlético Madrid.

At halftime, Simeone made changes to three players, with Álvarez being substituted for Antoine Griezmann, Nahuel Molina replaced by Marcos Llorente, and Brazilian player Samuel Lino substituted by Pablo Barrios.

Notably, after participating in the Copa América and the Olympics, Álvarez barely had sufficient rest. He only finished playing on August 2nd and was announced as joining Atlético Madrid ten days later. Due to the lack of a complete pre-season training period, Simeone is managing his playing time to help him adjust his form.

Regarding the three substitutions at halftime and the reason for replacing Álvarez, Simeone said at the press conference: “We did not change our tactical system, still adhering to the 1-5-3-2 formation to maintain the balance of the team. Since the team began losing balance in the first half, the opponents had opportunities to create threats. By bringing on Llorente and Barrios, we aimed to strengthen control in midfield. We hoped that the substitutions would inject new vitality and restore the intensity of the first 30 minutes.” He also mentioned the team’s insufficiency in converting opportunities: “Today both Søros and Álvarez had good chances to score, but we couldn’t capitalize on them, which led to us failing to win the game.”

When discussing Álvarez’s positioning choices, Simeone added: “In the Argentine national team, he plays forward alongside Messi; at Manchester City, due to Haaland’s presence, he often appears on the wing; and at River Plate, he was a pure center-forward. He can adapt to different positions.”