Julián Álvarez returns after injury, but boos persist at the Metropolitano

Julián Álvarez reached the Metropolitano derby after recovering from a muscle overload that had kept him out of the Atlético de Madrid matches against Real Sociedad and Osasuna, as Mundo Deportivo reports. The Argentine was fit enough to make the squad, but he was not ready to start.

Back in, on the bench

Diego Simeone opted to leave him on the bench and start Jonathan David instead. As Mundo Deportivo describes, the reaction from the stands came early: when “La Araña” was announced, the boos were loud. After that, the noise didn’t come back for a while until Simeone called Álvarez to enter the match.

While Álvarez waited on the touchline, the home side extended the lead. Jonathan David scored Atlético’s second after a pass from Giuliano. Even though the game ended 2-0, the crowd didn’t cut Álvarez any slack when he replaced the striker who had been cheered.

The stadium won’t forget

Mundo Deportivo also notes that Giuliano and Koke asked for applause, but the Metropolitano—at least for now—hasn’t forgiven the Argentine. So, even with his return after missing two games, the derby underlines that Álvarez is still struggling to shake off the pressure he faces at Atlético’s home ground, according to the same source.