Simeone backs Alvarez to shine as Atlético host Mallorca

Atlético Madrid coach Diego Simeone addressed the media on Saturday before his side welcomes RCD Mallorca to the Metropolitano on Sunday afternoon.

Simeone was asked why fans should believe in out-of-form forward Julián Alvarez and whether the striker believes in himself. The Argentine responded furiously.

“Really? Are you seriously asking me that?” he responded initially. “The truth is that Julián Alvarez believes in himself because of his name, his status, and his track record.”

Diego Simeone on the importance of Antoine Griezmann’s absence

“The absence of a player like Antoine Griezmann is always felt, whether he starts the game or comes on as a substitute, as he was doing, but it’s clear that he’s always a very important player for the team.”

Griezmann has suffered a low-grade muscle injury in his left thigh, as diagnosed by the club’s medical staff following an MRI.

The Frenchman sustained the injury during Friday’s training session. His return to competition will depend on the progress of his recovery.

— Atlético de Madrid (@atletienglish) January 23, 2026

Diego Simeone on Robin Le Normand’s fitness

“He’s working very well. The truth is that there’s very healthy competition in central defence. We have four very good players, plus the addition of Clément Lenglet, who has now recovered, so we’ll just have to try to always find the best solution for the team.”

Diego Simeone on the physical and mental state of the team

“Well, the truth is that physically and mentally I see the team searching for what we want. Sometimes it works out in our favour and sometimes it doesn’t, but the objective remains the same: to look forward to what we want, to create scoring opportunities, to defend better than we do now so that any small advantage can be worthwhile. That will make us grow as a team in general.”

Diego Simeone on a lack of incisiveness in attack

“As we explained after Wednesday’s match, always interpreting that final phase in the best possible way makes you stand out, and surely with hard work and the energy and commitment that the team has, we will find possibilities to increase our scoring, which is what the game is all about.”

Diego Simeone on minutes for the reserves

“If the match calls for it and the manager decides that they can play, then of course they will. That’s why they’re with us; otherwise, they wouldn’t be.”

Diego Simeone on the transfer window and managing fixture congestion

“The truth is that the only thing that matters is the results and then everything that can happen along the way, whether it’s situations that can happen with the departure of one player and the arrival of another. But the only thing that matters to everyone is the result, and hopefully it will be a positive one. Tomorrow we’re playing Mallorca, a complex team that, like us, has an important need. They’re coming off an important win against Bilbao, so we’ll have to take the game where we think we can hurt them.”

Diego Simeone on missing players in training

“We normally bring in players to compensate for those absences and we balance things out if we have to work in double positions. We try to bring in players who can help us and who we understand can help the club at some point to compensate for that loss.”

Diego Simeone on managing rest between LaLiga and the Champions League

“I’m only thinking about Mallorca because we need to continue in the league at the pace we’re going, and obviously for that we need to play an important match tomorrow. I can’t get anything else out of my head except thinking about the Mallorca match.”