Simeone: 'I value saying sorry – we need Julián Álvarez'

Asked about the Metropolitano chanting Julián's name, Simeone replied that the crowd celebrated the goal like anyone else's and stressed that, for the club's objectives, the team needs this version of Julián.

After the 1-0 win over Deportivo at the Metropolitano, Diego Pablo Simeone gave this assessment of the match: "It was a tough, difficult game. We struggled to win the ball back and we didn't play the game we had imagined. We weren't comfortable. We changed things and the substitutions gave us more energy, we created goalscoring situations, we had three, and we got into the kind of game that never quite gets closed out at 1-0. That's why Sorloth came on. But by not scoring, we slipped into the panic these scorelines always bring. Deportivo could have equalised, but in the end that goal didn't go in and we took all three points."

On Julián Álvarez's apology to the fans, Simeone said: "I really value in people the moment of saying sorry, because it isn't easy. Julián is a humble, hard-working lad who cares about his teammates, and I appreciate his apology because it puts him where he truly belongs."

In the post-match press conference, which was almost entirely about Julián Álvarez, a journalist asked Simeone about the fury with which he celebrated the goal and about the Metropolitano chanting the Argentine striker's name.

Simeone replied that Julián "had a superb game" and that the crowd cheered the goal "the way they cheer any goal by their team, whether Julián scores it or anyone else". He added that the supporters appreciated the effort of the player, who produced a top-level performance, repeating what he had done days earlier in the Champions League.

The coach concluded that they "are finding the best Julián and that, for the club's objectives and for what its people want, they need Julián Álvarez like this".