Simeone Addresses Criticism Over Giuliano's Role at Atletico
Diego Simeone is used to living in the eye of the storm. This time, though, the noise is closer to home.
His son, Giuliano, has played in every game for Atletico this season. Three starts in La Liga, one in the Champions League against Liverpool, and a single outing from the bench in the 2-0 win over Malaga on the opening weekend, August 19. For a young winger still carving out his place, it is a significant run of minutes.
It has also lit the fuse.
Sections of the support have accused Simeone of favouritism, questioning why Giuliano keeps appearing while the team stutters. Social media has done the rest, amplifying every selection and every misplaced pass into a broader argument about merit and bloodlines.
Simeone, though, is having none of it.
Simeone shuts down the noise
Asked again about Giuliano’s role ahead of Sunday’s trip to San Sebastian, the Argentine cut the conversation dead. No long defence, no emotional speech. Just a firm line in the sand.
“I have nothing to say. Giuliano's actions and work speak for themselves,” he said, refusing to engage with the online criticism or suggestions that his son is being favoured.
For Simeone, the only currency that counts is performance. If you deliver, you play. That is the message he pushed, and he did it without a hint of apology. The debate may rage outside, but he is not about to let it dictate his team sheet.
The context around Giuliano’s minutes matters too. His appearances have come in a side wrestling with far bigger problems than one selection.
Defensive cracks and back-to-back blows
Atletico arrive at the Reale Arena wounded. They have lost two on the spin, dismantled 3-0 by Athletic before being beaten at Liverpool. Eight goals conceded in five competitive matches has turned what was once their great strength into an early-season fault line.
The backline, usually Simeone’s fortress, looks anything but. Gaps have appeared, duels have been lost, and the collective aggression that defined his best teams has flickered rather than burned. Every goal shipped has added weight to the sense that this start is not just a blip.
The pressure is rising. Not just because of the scorelines, but because of what they suggest about Atletico’s identity.
Injuries bite as Atletico face a character test
Now comes Real Sociedad away. A fixture that rarely offers comfort, even when Atletico are flying. This time it arrives as a test of nerve as much as quality.
Simeone’s options are stretched. Pablo Barrios is out with a muscle injury, taking away energy and control in midfield. Alexander Sorloth remains absent in attack, stripping the side of a focal point and another route to goal. Every absentee tightens the margin for error.
So the stakes in San Sebastian are clear. Atletico need a result, but more than that, they need to look like Atletico again: compact, ruthless, hard to break. An away win would not erase the doubts, yet it would slam the brakes on any talk of a full-blown crisis and keep the gap to the top from yawning wider.
Giuliano will step into that cauldron still under the spotlight, every touch judged a little harsher because of his surname. Simeone will stand on the touchline, arms folded, knowing that for all the noise about family ties, it is his team’s response – not his son’s selection – that will define the next chapter of this season.
