Llorente: Alvarez Is Very Important to Us, the Team Needs His Goals

In the fourth round of La Liga, Atletico Madrid suffered a 0-3 away defeat to Athletic Bilbao. After the match, Llorente and Hancko spoke to ESPN and discussed Alvarez.

When Alvarez came on as a substitute in the second half, Atletico Madrid were already trailing 0-2, but he was unable to help the team turn the game around, and Atletico suffered their first defeat of the season.

Llorente said: "He (Julian) is a very important player for us, and he knows that himself. He will gradually get back to his form, as soon as possible, because we need his goals. We have to support him and help him return to 100% as quickly as possible."

In Atletico's match in Bilbao, the starting lineup did not include a traditional center forward. Baena and Lee Kang-in were the team's most attacking players, while Alvarez was brought on with more than 30 minutes remaining. Jonathan David, who joined the team on loan on deadline day, did not get a chance to play.

Hancko said: "You can see that (Alvarez) is in good condition. He wants to carry the team himself. Against a low defensive block, he will of course lose some balls. But you can see his flashes of quality, such as those moments when he turns and shoots with his left foot."

"He can bring something different to our team. I am really happy that he stayed. The whole team supports him, and we will stand behind him. We need him, and I think he needs us as well."

Atletico Madrid conceded two goals in just two minutes in the second half. Nico Williams and Robert Navarro scored in the 46th and 48th minutes respectively, before Sancet added another goal late in the match.

Hancko said: "You could say we lost the game within 120 seconds. The start of the second half was really bad... During those two minutes, we suddenly switched off. I don't know if we were a bit asleep after halftime. Those were two very difficult minutes. Maybe it is a good thing that this happened so early."

Llorente said: "We threw the game away in the first five minutes of the second half. Those five minutes knocked us down, and afterwards we were unable to put pressure on them or score a goal to make them feel a little afraid... This cannot happen, because we played a very good first half. We have to correct the problems and find out the reasons."

Next, Atletico Madrid will face a difficult week. They will travel to Anfield to challenge Liverpool in the Champions League, and then face Real Sociedad away in La Liga.