Julian Alvarez Shows Transformation in Atletico Madrid Training
Julian Alvarez walked out at Majadahonda on Monday looking like the same player. By the end of Atletico Madrid’s first training session since facing Athletic Bilbao, he did not feel like one.
The Spanish press described a “new face” from the Argentine forward, and the evidence on the pitch backed that up. With the dust still settling from the league clash at San Mames, Diego Simeone put his squad through a session that said plenty about where Alvarez is heading.
Full squad, full throttle – except Sorloth
Every outfield player was available to Simeone apart from the injured Sorloth. The structure of the day followed a familiar script: the starters from the match against Athletic Bilbao stayed on a lighter load, focusing on recovery work. The rest? They were pushed hard.
Substitutes and unused players were thrown into an intensive workout, the kind Simeone uses to sharpen edges and test attitudes. That is where Alvarez stood out.
The coach set up a training match, with a clear emphasis on pressing high, winning the ball back quickly and moving it with purpose. It was classic Simeone: aggression, compactness, vertical passing.
Julian Alvarez and Jonathan David led the line. Koke anchored the midfield. Behind them, Dominguez, Koke, Le Normand and Dani Martinez formed the defensive unit.
A different Alvarez
From the first whistle of the practice game, Alvarez looked transformed from the hesitant figure of recent weeks. He dropped off the front line to receive the ball, linked play, demanded passes. He did not hide.
He moved freely, constantly touching the ball, drifting into pockets, then spinning in behind. Confidence showed in his body language and in his decisions. The highlight came with a superb goal, finished at the end of a move that closely resembled his attacking pattern at San Mames.
One sharp attack, one clean strike. A reminder of the player Atletico thought they were getting.
As the session wound down, most of his teammates shifted into stretching and warm-down routines. Alvarez did the opposite. He stayed on the pitch with one of Atletico’s fitness coaches and kept running, adding extra work on top of an already demanding day.
The message was obvious: he is chasing full physical sharpness, not waiting for it to arrive.
From crisis to response
Only a few weeks ago, Alvarez’s situation at the club had spiralled into crisis. He had pushed hard for a move to Barcelona. Atletico’s answer was blunt and uncompromising: no.
The fallout left the forward under scrutiny, his commitment questioned, his future debated.
On Monday, the noise around him sounded very different. Voices from the sidelines urged him on during the drills, backing his effort and his change in attitude. The report from Spain was clear: Alvarez has started to behave in a completely different way.
In a squad that lives off intensity and conviction, that shift matters. If this version of Julian Alvarez holds, Simeone may have just regained not only a forward, but a weapon for the run-in.
