Julián Álvarez to stay on the bench again for Atlético Madrid against Liverpool

Atlético Madrid's Champions League campaign kicks off Wednesday, and there won't be any surprises up front: Julián Álvarez will not start again. Diego Simeone confirmed as much in his pre-match press conference ahead of the clash with Liverpool, a group-stage opener for both clubs that arrives at an odd moment for the Córdoba native, who still hasn't found his footing with the team.

The Cholo didn't dance around the issue. He said the forward "is in a growth phase" and that he doesn't see him "starting" the match, though he made clear Álvarez could likely contribute off the bench. That's where things stand: no starting spot, but a promise of minutes at some point in the game.

Julián is in a growth phase, I don't see him starting tomorrow. He'll surely help us during the match.Diego Simeone

Álvarez's situation has been loaded with noise since before the season even began. His potential move to Barcelona was blocked by Atlético itself, and that saga left the forward in an awkward spot: he wanted out, he stayed, and now he has to earn a place that seemed secure just months ago. The numbers back that up: just two La Liga appearances out of a possible four, totaling 55 minutes across both, and he has yet to show the level everyone knows he's capable of.

Simeone lumped Julián in with a broader group of players still settling in. He described it as a collective process, not just an individual one, pointing to players who arrived late after playing in the most recent World Cup with their national teams.

We have a ton of work to do. We're in a growth phase: lots of new kids, the Julián situation, the guys who came back late from their national teams.Diego Simeone

An attack with pieces out of place

Álvarez's absence from the starting lineup isn't an isolated whim: Atlético's attack has taken hits. Alexander Sorloth got injured during preseason and still isn't available, while Jonathan David, the club's most recent addition up top, is still adjusting to the team and to Spanish soccer. Given that, Simeone found an emergency fix over the last two matches by pushing Lee Kang-In and Álex Baena forward as attacking references, and everything points to him running that same setup against the English side.

In La Liga, Atlético arrives with an uneven start: two wins, a draw and a loss. Nothing catastrophic, but hardly the dream opening for a team that needs to build confidence before diving into the demands of the Champions League. And right in the middle of this shaky stretch comes Liverpool, a top-tier opponent to open the competition against.

The question hanging in the air is how much longer Julián will stay on the bench. Simeone seems determined to handle the timeline carefully, without rushing the forward, even though the European calendar doesn't leave much room for experiments.