Mundo Deportivo: Alvarez Shows Signs of Returning to Form Against Liverpool, Actively Involved in Attack

According to Mundo Deportivo, Atletico Madrid have entered Champions League mode, and Julian Alvarez has begun showing signs of returning to his best form, although he has not yet achieved his dream. The forward was one of the few positive takeaways for Simeone after the defeat to Liverpool.

This was the surprise of the night. Before the match, Simeone tried to create uncertainty and even said that Alvarez would not be seen starting on Wednesday. “He will certainly help us during the course of the match,” he insisted on Tuesday. However, it later proved to be a tactical smokescreen from Simeone designed to mislead Iraola.

In his Champions League debut against Liverpool at Anfield, Julian Alvarez made his first start of the season. He has also gradually moved past the disappointment of failing to secure a move to Barcelona this summer. “Yesterday I had one idea, and now I have another,” the Argentine forward explained when discussing why he changed his view on whether “Spider-Man” should enter the starting lineup.

Alvarez did not disappoint and instead proved his coach's judgment right. Simeone had previously defended him, saying that he “has always performed quite well in training.” Before this, he came off the bench for nearly half an hour against Villarreal and played a half against Athletic Club, consistently looking disconnected from the matches, with his head down, and clearly affected by remaining at Atletico Madrid.

But at Anfield, everything changed. After just five minutes, he showed a completely different side. His first shot was only a probing effort that was comfortably saved by Alisson. More than the chances he created, Alvarez was active, frequently dropping into midfield to receive the ball and constantly bringing different sparks to the attack. Every touch was precise, clearly showing that his level of commitment seemed to be changing.

The best proof was Llorente's goal, because Alvarez is now even involved in scoring moves. On this occasion, he delivered a superb through ball after spotting Marcos Llorente's run into the space behind the defense, creating a one-on-one opportunity against Alisson. A few minutes later, Alvarez nearly scored himself, but his powerful shot from the edge of the box that went close to the post was denied by one of the Brazilian goalkeeper's best saves of the round.

His importance in Atletico Madrid's attack has become clear enough that Simeone did not hesitate to keep him on for the full 90 minutes, especially when the team needed to fight back after falling behind 2-1 at the start of the second half. Simeone brought on Jonathan David, but the player taken off was not Alvarez, it was Baena. When trailing, Simeone could not remove the player who was supposed to be the team's main attacking threat.

Before the end of the match, like the rest of the team, Alvarez also faded during the final stages, but he remained one of Atletico Madrid's few players to create opportunities to equalize, with another low shot comfortably collected by Alisson.

In any case, Simeone can take Alvarez's performance as one of the few positive pieces of news after the Anfield defeat. However, the key to truly judging how much the forward has recovered will be the upcoming match at the Metropolitano. If Alvarez maintains this level, Atletico Madrid will need him, but forgiveness from the fans will not come easily, and even if he continues to perform well in the Champions League, that may not necessarily change.