Koke Urges Media to Leave Alvarez Alone After Liverpool Loss

Atletico Madrid left Anfield beaten but not broken. The 2-1 loss to Liverpool on Wednesday night came with its own storyline, and once again Julian Alvarez found himself in the middle of it.

Alvarez delivers, Liverpool respond

Given a rare start and, crucially, his first full 90 minutes of the season, Alvarez wasted no time justifying Diego Simeone’s faith. The Argentine forward snapped into life early on, sliding a precise ball through for Marcos Llorente, who finished to put Atletico in front.

It was exactly the kind of contribution many at the club insist he can provide regularly. A sharp touch, a clean vision of the pass, a decisive action in a hostile stadium. For a while, it looked like the perfect night to start changing the narrative around him.

Liverpool had other ideas. Dominik Szoboszlai struck to level the game, Alexis Mac Allister then completed the turnaround, and Atletico’s promising start dissolved into another Champions League disappointment. The result stung, but the conversation quickly veered away from the scoreline and back to Alvarez’s turbulent summer.

A summer that won’t go away

Alvarez spent the transfer window pushing hard for a move to Barcelona. Atletico stood firm and refused to sanction the switch. The stance kept a valuable player in the squad, but it also lit a fuse among sections of the fanbase, many of whom questioned his commitment and attitude.

Since then, every appearance, every gesture, every omission has been framed through that lens. The noise has not stopped.

Koke, usually measured and diplomatic, decided it was time to draw a line.

“We’re tired [of it],” he told Movistar after the final whistle. “We have to leave the boy alone, to let him enjoy himself, to let him do his job and play football. Between all of us, we have to leave him in peace, because it’s been a really tiresome summer from [the media]. Let’s hope he can be left in peace to do his job.”

No ambiguity. No softening. The captain wants the circus to pack up.

Dressing room closes ranks

Llorente, the beneficiary of Alvarez’s assist on the night, echoed that message and went even further in his backing.

“He’s a very important player for us,” he told reporters. “He gave me a marvellous assist. That’s what we need. We need him to be right, to be sharp, because he’s been a long time without competing.

“He did well, he worked hard, he ran, that’s what we need. What I can say is we’re with Julian, he’s our player, a teammate. He’s important and he makes the difference.”

From the captain to the goalscorer, the tone was the same: whatever happened in August stays there. Inside the dressing room, Alvarez is one of them.

Time to repair the bond

Outside it, the work starts now. With the transfer window closed and his move to Barcelona off the table, Alvarez has little choice but to rebuild his relationship with Atletico’s supporters.

Performances like the one at Anfield will help. He assisted the only Atletico goal, put in the hard running Simeone demands, and showed signs of sharpness after so long without regular competition. Those are the details fans notice when the anger begins to cool.

Atletico, currently sixth in La Liga with two wins, one draw and one defeat, return to domestic duty needing a response to their European setback. Real Sociedad await next, a fixture that rarely offers much margin for error.

Alvarez will push to keep his place in the starting XI. The message from his teammates is clear. The question now is whether the stands will follow their lead and allow him the quiet he needs to turn a bruising summer into a very different kind of season.