Atlético Madrid's Defeat in Bilbao: Llorente Urges Álvarez to Deliver
Atlético Madrid walked into San Mamés unbeaten and walked out with a 3–0 defeat, their first of the La Liga season and a brutal reminder of what happens when a team with title ambitions forgets how to finish.
No recognised striker started for Diego Simeone’s side against Athletic Bilbao. No goal arrived either.
Álvarez stays, but must now deliver
All eyes inevitably fell on Julián Álvarez. Atlético fought hard to keep him in the summer, refusing to even open talks with Barcelona and insisting he stayed. On Saturday night, they turned to him to save a sinking game.
Two goals down, Álvarez came off the bench in the second half. The comeback never materialised.
After the final whistle, Marcos Llorente did not hide how much the dressing room expects from the Argentine.
“Julián is a decisive player for us, and he knows that well,” Llorente told ESPN. “He will gradually gel with the team, and the sooner the better because we desperately need his goals, and we must support him so he returns to his 100% level as soon as possible.”
The message was clear: Atlético fought to keep him. Now they need him to pay that faith back in goals.
Simeone’s gamble up front
Simeone rolled the dice from the start. With no out-and-out striker in the XI, he trusted Álex Baena and Kang-in Lee to lead the attack, looking for movement and combinations rather than a fixed reference in the box.
It never truly unsettled Athletic.
Álvarez had to wait until there was a little more than half an hour left before he was thrown on. Jonathan David, signed on loan on deadline day to add firepower, did not leave the bench at all.
For a team that had built its identity on being ruthless in both boxes, the absence of a clear No 9 from the start told its own story.
Teammates rally around Álvarez
Inside the squad, though, there is no doubt about Álvarez’s value. Defender Dávid Hancko underlined how much they lean on his presence and movement.
“It was clear that he was in good shape and wanted to take responsibility and make a difference,” Hancko said. “Of course, a striker loses some balls against defensive blocks, but we saw those attacking flashes when he turned and shot with his left foot.”
Hancko’s verdict went beyond one cameo.
“He makes a difference for us, and I am very happy that he stayed. The whole team supports him and stands behind him, we need him and I think he needs us too.”
The support network is there. The expectation is, too.
Two minutes of chaos
For all the talk about forwards, this defeat was born in a disastrous start to the second half.
Atlético reached the break still alive. Two minutes after the restart, the game was gone.
Nico Williams struck in the 46th minute. Robert Navarro added another in the 48th. Just like that, Atlético’s structure crumbled, their resistance evaporated, and San Mamés roared them into submission. Oihan Sancet later added a third to turn a bad night into a heavy scoreline.
Hancko did not sugar-coat it.
“You could say we lost the match in just 120 seconds,” he admitted. “It was a very bad start to the second half, we lost concentration for two minutes and I don't know if we relaxed after the break. They were difficult moments, and perhaps it's good that this stumble happened early at the start of the season.”
Llorente saw the same collapse, only stretched over a slightly longer spell.
“We threw the match away in the first five minutes of the second half,” he said. “Those five minutes killed our ambition and afterwards we couldn't impose pressure or score a goal to unsettle the opponent. This should not happen again because we produced a good first half, and we must correct the mistakes and study the reasons for what happened.”
The diagnosis was brutal: a solid first half, then a blackout that turned a controlled contest into a rout.
Anfield and beyond
There is no time for Atlético to lick their wounds. A brutal week looms.
Next stop: Anfield, to face Liverpool in the Champions League. Then a trip to Real Sociedad in La Liga.
The schedule offers no hiding place. If Atlético want to prove that Bilbao was a jolt rather than a warning, they will need their defensive focus back, their collective edge sharpened – and, as Llorente made plain, they will need Julián Álvarez to start scoring like the decisive forward the club refused to let go.
