Marcos Llorente emphasized the need for Julian Alvarez to find his scoring touch after Atletico Madrid faced a surprising 3-0 defeat at the hands of Athletic Club in LaLiga on Saturday. Alvarez, who entered the match as a second-half substitute, could not alter the outcome as Atletico suffered their first loss of the season at San Mames.

Llorente stated, “He [Julian] is a very important player for us.” This match marked Alvarez's first appearance since the summer transfer window closed, where he was unable to secure a move to Barcelona, described by ESPN as his “dream” club. The situation left him without competitive rhythm heading into the crucial match.

Atletico Madrid began the game without a recognized striker in their starting XI, with Alex Baena and Kang-in Lee filling the most attacking positions. Alvarez was brought on with just over half an hour left, while Jonathan David, who joined on loan on deadline day, remained on the bench.

Both Llorente and defender David Hancko expressed confidence in Alvarez's ability to regain form. Llorente remarked, “He knows it. He’ll come in little by little, and the sooner the better, because we need his goals.” Hancko added that despite the challenging scenario of facing a low block, Alvarez showed promising signs, stating, “You could see those sparks, moments when he turned and shot with his left foot.”

Atletico’s defeat was largely attributed to a disastrous two-minute spell early in the second half, where Nico Williams and Robert Navarro scored in quick succession, followed by a third goal from Oihan Sancet. Llorente reflected, “We threw away the game in the first five minutes of the second half,” stressing the need to avoid similar lapses in future matches.