‘We need his goals’ – Marcos Llorente admits Atletico Madrid are desperate for Julian Alvarez to shine after dismal Athletic Club defeat

Atletico Madrid started the game without a recognised centre-forward, before introducing Alvarez with just over half an hour remaining. Defender David Hancko echoed Llorente’s sentiments, highlighting the positive signs the substitute showed despite the difficult circumstances of playing against a low block. Hancko noted that the entire squad have backed Alvarez to succeed this season. “You could see [Alvarez] was doing well, he wanted to take [the game] on himself,” Hancko told ESPN.

“In a low block, of course he’s going to lose some balls. But you could see those sparks, moments when he turned and shot with his left foot. He makes a difference for us in the team. I’m really happy he stayed. The whole team, we support him, we’re going to stay behind him. We need him and I think he needs us as well.”