Simeone comes to Alvaraz’s defence amid struggles
Atletico Madrid head coach Diego Simeone has defended Julian Alvarez again as the striker’s struggles continue.
Alvarez was unable to make an impact during Atleti’s 3-1 defeat to Barcelona last time out, with the forward now failing to score in four of his past five matches in all competitions.
However, his recent form does not tell the story of his season, with the 25-year-old scoring seven goals in 15 LaLiga games and three in four UEFA Champions League matches.
Simeone will be hoping that Alvarez can rediscover his goalscoring touch ahead of Atleti’s trip to Athletic Club, with the Argentinean coach losing four of his past seven visits to the Basque side in LaLiga, winning two and drawing one.
But after Alvarez received some criticism for his performance against Barca, Simeone came to his player’s defence.
“We are supporting him in a moment where maybe he isn’t scoring as much,” Simeone said.
“How many goals has he scored since he arrived? He scored 39.”
Athletic is 11 points behind fourth-place Atleti, with Ernesto Valverde’s side scoring just 14 goals in 15 league games this season.
It has won just twice in its past eight games in all competitions, losing five times and drawing once, losing 3-0 to Real Madrid in its most recent match.
