Atletico Madrid manager Diego Simeone has urged striker Julian Alvarez to continue improving following a slow start to the season and his failure to score for the Spanish side.
Atletico Madrid will face Manchester United in the Champions League on Tuesday in an important encounter for both teams. The Spanish side lost their opening league-phase match against Liverpool, while Manchester United began their campaign with a convincing victory over Sabah.
Alvarez, a former Manchester City striker, is yet to score for Atletico Madrid this season. The Argentine has endured a difficult period after attempting to leave the club during the summer in order to join Spanish champions Barcelona.
However, Simeone believes the striker possesses other important qualities beyond his goalscoring ability.
“I believe that strikers with Julian’s characteristics always need goals, not just him,” Simeone said on Monday.
“Beyond his ability to score, he is a player who works for the team, builds good connections with his teammates and can provide assists. He has many other qualities besides scoring goals,” the Argentine manager emphasised.
Alvarez came close to scoring in Saturday’s match against Alaves when he struck the post after coming on as a substitute. Atletico Madrid won the game and climbed to second place in La Liga.
Simeone praised the striker’s performance in the second half and expressed hope that he would continue to improve.
“He had a good second half in Saturday’s match, and we hope he continues to develop and reaches the level we all want to see from him,” Simeone stated.
Alvarez scored for Argentina in a friendly against Burkina Faso during the most recent international break, but he has yet to find the net in his last five appearances for Atletico Madrid.
Simeone’s side have won their last four matches, while Manchester United are going through a more difficult period. The English club have failed to win any of their last four matches in all competitions since their victory over Sabah.
Manchester United, under the management of Michael Carrick, are experiencing their worst start to a Premier League season in 40 years.
Despite the contrasting form of the two teams, Simeone has warned that the encounter will be difficult and has called for maximum concentration from his players.
“It will be a long and difficult match. We must manage our energy levels well so that we can compete at our best,” the Atletico Madrid manager concluded.
