Simeone defends son Giuliano ahead of tough trip to Real Sociedad

Context

Atlético Madrid travel to San Sebastián on Sunday to face Real Sociedad after two consecutive losses – a 3-0 defeat to Athletic Bilbao in La Liga and a loss away to Liverpool in the Champions League. Atlético's defence has conceded eight goals in the first five official matches of the season, raising concerns about the team's stability ahead of a demanding away fixture.

Criticism surrounding Giuliano Simeone

Ahead of the match, coach Diego Simeone was asked about his son Giuliano Simeone, who recently signed a contract extension with the club until 2030. Since returning from a loan spell at Alavés, the young winger has become an important player in Atlético's squad and has even earned a call-up to the Argentina national team. However, his regular playing time has drawn criticism — Yahoo Actualités reports accusations of favouritism from supporters, while Foot Mercato notes that the player has become the target of a defamation campaign on social media.

Diego Simeone declined to elaborate further on the controversy, saying: "his deeds and his work speak for themselves." For the coach, his son's place in the team should be judged solely on performance, not outside noise.

According to Yahoo Actualités, Giuliano has featured in every Atlético match this season — three La Liga starts, one Champions League appearance against Liverpool on matchday one, and a substitute appearance in the 2-0 opening-weekend win over Málaga on 19 August. Last season, Giuliano scored 3 goals and provided 7 assists in 27 matches, according to Foot Mercato.

The upcoming match

Simeone's options are further limited by a muscle injury to Pablo Barrios and the prolonged absence of forward Alexander Sorloth. The coach stressed the need for the team to regain balance: "we need to be balanced and more consistent over 90 minutes," he said before the trip to the Reale Arena.

Match statistics compiled by the BBC show Real Sociedad holding 53.6% possession compared to Atlético's 46.4%, though the Madrid side created more chances — 12 shots to 7, including 4 on target versus Real Sociedad's 2. Atlético also had more touches inside the opposition box, 22 to 16.