Marcos Llorente has stressed that Atletico Madrid are counting on Julian Alvarez to deliver goals after a damaging 3-0 defeat to Athletic Club in La Liga. The Argentina forward made his first competitive appearance since a failed Barcelona transfer, coming off the bench in the second half as Diego Simeone's side collapsed at San Mames. Llorente's comments highlight the urgency surrounding Alvarez's integration into the team's attack following a transfer window that left the club without a recognised centre-forward in their starting lineup.
Alvarez Needs Time, Not Pressure
Despite the heavy loss, Llorente struck an optimistic tone about Alvarez's future at the club. "He is a very important player for us. He knows it. He'll come in little by little, and the sooner the better, because we need his goals," Llorente told ESPN. "We have to support him so he's at 100% soon." The midfielder acknowledged that Alvarez showed promise even while operating in difficult circumstances, with Atletico Madrid pinned back for large stretches of the second half against Athletic's compact defensive shape.
Defender David Hancko reinforced the message of unity around the 24-year-old. "You could see those sparks, moments when he turned and shot with his left foot," Hancko explained. "He makes a difference for us in the team. The whole team supports him—we're going to stay behind him. We need him and I think he needs us as well." Both players emphasised that the squad's collective backing would be crucial to helping Alvarez rediscover the clinical finishing that made him a target for Europe's elite clubs during the summer.
The Collapse That Changed Everything
Atletico Madrid's downfall came in brutal fashion. A devastating two-minute spell after half-time saw Nico Williams and Robert Navarro score in the 46th and 48th minutes, before Oihan Sancet added a third late on. Llorente identified the lack of focus as the critical failure: "We threw away the game in the first five minutes of the second half. Those five minutes killed us, and then we weren't able to put them under pressure and score a goal to scare them a bit." This capitulation negated an encouraging first-half performance and left Atletico searching for answers heading into their Champions League fixture at Liverpool.
The immediate road ahead offers little respite for Simeone's side. A trip to Anfield for a Champions League clash followed by an away match against Real Sociedad in La Liga will test whether Atletico can arrest their slide and provide Alvarez with the platform he needs to justify staying in Madrid rather than joining Barcelona. The stakes surrounding his performance—both for his own confidence and the team's European ambitions—have never been higher.
