Julian Alvarez Shines on Atletico Madrid Return Despite Liverpool Defeat
Julian Alvarez made his first Atletico Madrid start of the campaign at Anfield, supplying Marcos Llorente for the visitors’ opening goal despite the Champions League defeat to Liverpool.
The Argentina forward’s return to the XI was the major squad positive for Diego Simeone after Atletico left England without a point from their opening European fixture. Alvarez registered his first assist for the club and later forced Alisson into an important save with a shot that nearly added a second.
Alvarez boosts Simeone’s options
Former Spain goalkeeper Santi Canizares believes Alvarez’s performance matters more than Atletico’s early three-point loss, with plenty of Champions League matches still to play.
Canizares said Atletico have seen the first signs of Alvarez returning to form: he started, performed strongly, created Llorente’s goal and came close to scoring himself. He also pointed to the striker’s connection with the group after Alvarez remained on the pitch following the final whistle to applaud the travelling Atletico support.
An effective Alvarez would give Simeone a major attacking option during a demanding run of fixtures, particularly after his movement and creativity caused Liverpool problems at Anfield.
What happens next
- Atletico return to domestic competition following the Liverpool loss.
- Simeone will assess whether Alvarez has done enough to keep his place in the starting side.
- Atletico then resume their Champions League campaign seeking their first points of the season.
