Diego Simeone's Tough Stance on Giuliano's Role at Atletico Madrid
Diego Simeone has never been one to explain himself. He certainly wasn’t about to start now – not even for his son.
Giuliano has been involved in every Atletico Madrid game this season, three starts in La Liga and a Champions League outing on the opening day against Liverpool. The only time he has come off the bench was in the 2-0 league win over Malaga back on August 19, the first weekend of the campaign.
For a section of the fanbase, that’s been enough to light the fuse.
Accusations of favouritism have gathered pace online, every team sheet dissected, every minute Giuliano plays framed as a family affair rather than a footballing decision. The noise has grown with each setback. The scrutiny has followed Simeone into press rooms and mixed zones.
He has no interest in playing along.
Asked again about the winger’s regular presence in the side, Simeone cut the conversation short. No long defence, no emotional monologue about blood ties. Just a clear line in the sand: performances decide everything.
“I have nothing to say. Giuliano's actions and work speak for themselves,” the Argentine snapped, brushing aside the latest round of questions ahead of Sunday’s trip to San Sebastian. For him, the debate ends there. For everyone else, it rumbles on.
What makes the situation more volatile is that Giuliano’s emergence is unfolding against a troubled backdrop. Atletico are not just dealing with a family subplot; they are dealing with a wobble that is starting to look like something more serious.
They arrive at the weekend on the back of two straight defeats. Athletic tore them apart 3-0, exposing a defence that once felt unbreakable. Liverpool then picked at the same wounds in Europe. Eight goals conceded in the first five competitive fixtures of the season have turned what used to be Atletico’s greatest strength into an immediate concern.
The backline leaks, the structure creaks, and every selection call is magnified. When results dip, every choice is political.
Now comes Real Sociedad at the Reale Arena, a fixture that rarely offers comfort. It offers a test of character instead. Atletico travel to San Sebastian knowing that another setback would turn an early-season stumble into something closer to a crisis.
Simeone’s options are not exactly overflowing either. Pablo Barrios is out with a muscle injury, removing energy and control from midfield. Alexander Sorloth remains absent in attack, limiting the manager’s ability to rotate or reshape his front line.
So the equation is simple and brutal. Atletico need an away win, and they need it now.
A victory in San Sebastian would not just steady the table. It would tighten a defence that has looked strangely open, restore some belief, and keep the gap to the top from stretching into something ominous before autumn has even settled in.
Giuliano will step into that storm again, his every touch weighed, his every run judged. Simeone insists only the pitch will decide his fate.
The table, and the next 90 minutes at the Reale Arena, will decide Atletico’s.
