Diego Simeone Faces Criticism Amid Atlético Madrid Struggles

Diego Simeone is used to noise around Atlético Madrid. This season, some of it comes from inside his own team sheet.

Giuliano, his son, has played in every game so far. Three starts in La Liga, another on the opening Champions League night against Liverpool, and a single outing from the bench in the 2-0 win over Malaga on August 19. For a young winger still carving out his name, that kind of involvement would usually be a sign of trust and promise.

This time, it has lit a fuse.

Sections of the support have turned his minutes into a referendum on the manager. Accusations of favouritism have spilled across social media, every selection dissected, every touch weighed against the idea that he is there because of his surname rather than his performances.

Simeone wants no part of that storyline.

Pressed again on the online criticism and the perception of special treatment, the Argentine cut the subject dead. He refused to dress it up, refused to entertain the notion that anything other than football should be under discussion. For him, the pitch is the only courtroom that matters.

“I have nothing to say. Giuliano's actions and work speak for themselves,” he said, brushing aside the noise before Sunday’s trip to San Sebastian.

While the spotlight burns on Giuliano, the real problems sit elsewhere. Atlético’s issues in the opening weeks run far deeper than one selection call.

They travel to face Real Sociedad on the back of two bruising defeats. Athletic tore them apart 3-0, then Liverpool finished the job in Europe. Eight goals conceded in five competitive matches have ripped at the foundations of a side once built on defensive certainty. The back line, long Simeone’s pride and identity, suddenly looks fragile.

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Now comes a stern test at the Reale Arena. Not just of tactics or talent, but of character.

An early-season wobble is in danger of turning into something far more serious if the slide continues. The margins at the top of La Liga rarely forgive a slow start, and Atlético know how quickly a gap can become a chasm.

Simeone’s options are hardly generous. Pablo Barrios is out with a muscle problem, robbing the midfield of energy and balance. Alexander Sorloth remains unavailable in attack, limiting the variety in the final third just when Atlético could use a different reference point up front.

So the equation in San Sebastian is brutally simple. They need an away win. They need a clean, disciplined performance. They need to look like Atlético again.

If they don’t, the questions about Giuliano will be the least of Simeone’s problems.