“Julian is not Antoine [Griezmann]" - Diego Simeone addresses Julian Alvarez’s wait for first Atletico Madrid goal
Atletico Madrid manager Diego Simeone has backed Julian Alvarez amid criticism about his lack of goals since his move to Spain. He claimed that the Argentine forward is an extraordinary talent and will need some months to settle, like teammate Antoine Griezmann did.
Speaking to the media, Simeone stated that the €95 million signing is a fantastic player and will come good. He believes that Alvarez will need some time to settle and said (via Yahoo Sports):
"Calm. Julian is extraordinary, he will help us a lot. We have to accompany him so that things go naturally as they should. Griezmann also took a few months. Julian is not Antoine, but soon we will find what he wants and we all want, which is a goal from him."
Alvarez has featured in all four La Liga matches for Atletico this season, starting three, but is yet to find the back of the net or provide an assist in the competition.
Talking about Juan Musso, who replaced Jan Oblak for Atletico's game against Athletic Club after the Slovenian was ruled out due to illness, Simeone stated that the goalkeeper put in a lot of effort to join them. He added:
"He made a huge effort to come to Atletico Madrid, he fought with everyone who had to fight in Bergamo to leave, he wants to be here and that's very important. He has hierarchy, experience, he is a boy with many games played. Hopefully he will help us and give us competition to stimulate Oblak, who is also necessary."
Atletico Madrid need to give Julian Alvarez some time, says Diego Simeone
Diego Simeone spoke about Julian Alvarez last month and was full of praise for the Argentine striker. He stated that Alvarez can play in multiple positions and will need some time to figure out his best role in the team's set-up. He said (via ESPN):
"We know what Julian has, what he can give us. We'll try to take advantage of his qualities whether as a centre forward, a second forward or on the wing. We're convinced we have an incredible player for the present and the future. At River [Plate] he was a number nine, with Argentina he was a number nine at the World Cup. At City [Erling] Haaland's there, they shared [the position] or he played wide. He can play in different positions... We have him and Sørloth. I'll have to figure it out."
Atletico Madrid have won two and drawn two of their opening four La Liga matches. They are third in the league table – four points behind Barcelona and level on points with Real Madrid and Villarreal.