Atlético: 25 points from 10 games and the Julián Álvarez shadow

Atlético start with 25 points and the Julián case remains open

Twenty-five points from ten games. It is Atlético de Madrid's third-best start in history, according to the records being cited, and yet the season is still being read with a magnifying glass focused on the dressing room. The team keeps winning, Oblak holds up what the attack fails to finish off, and the debate over Julián Álvarez's commitment — public apology included — refuses to die down.

The figure is no small matter: only two campaigns in the club's entire history had surpassed that tally at this stage. The 2013-14 season, the title-winning one under Simeone, had 27 points after ten games. The 1995-96 season also started above that mark. With Zamora on the bench in 1941-42, they recorded 8 wins and 2 defeats; with Luis in 1991-92, 9 wins and 1 draw. The all-time record belongs to Otto Brumbel in 1964-65: 9 wins and 1 draw, 28 points out of a possible 30. Neither of those last two campaigns ended in a league title.

Julián Álvarez: from standoff to public apology

The Argentine striker's situation has been the thread running through much of the season. Cerezo was blunt in remarks picked up by the media: "He is an Atlético de Madrid player and he will remain an Atlético de Madrid player." "Even if there were offers, we don't want to sell him," the president added. The club's stance, according to the story circulating, is to keep the door closed on a departure despite the noise.

The noise had been building for a while. First, the World Cup: Josema Giménez left the tournament without playing a single minute, the first rojiblanco eliminated. Then, the manner of it. A section of the Atlético fanbase argues that the player has shown little commitment and should start the season on the bench; others recall that Gil promised him things he then failed to deliver. The controversy escalated to the point of apologies: Julián asked the fans for forgiveness over his statements during the World Cup, admitted it was "a mistake" and promised to make amends. The climbdown, as it was dubbed in the conversation, came late but it came.

The transfer market: Sorloth, Gyökeres and Villarreal's 20%

On the sporting front, the market has moved more pieces than it appears. Fenerbahçe submitted a first offer for Sorloth of 35 million, structured as a loan with an option to buy. The detail matters: if it is formalised as a loan and the sale goes through next season, Villarreal would not receive the 20% of the capital gain, a right that expires at the close of this summer window. Juventus, according to Tuttosport, is studying a 30-million offer for the Norwegian in January, with Jonathan David — on loan at Atlético — as a bargaining chip to bring positions closer. The gap between the two valuations is around five million.

Gyökeres, meanwhile, wants to leave Arsenal in January due to a lack of minutes. The London club have 25 points from ten games, their third-best tally in history. Some would rather keep Sorloth than bring in the Swede; others reply that the Norwegian lacks character and goes through the motions in too many games.

The squad: Grimaldo, Baena and the hole in the spine

Grimaldo has become the team's best left-footed free-kick taker, with a strike that flies with pinpoint accuracy and dips before reaching goal. Baena has five goals and is the top scorer. Kang-in Lee and Lookman have settled in up front, Giuliano Simeone contributes what he contributes and Barrios returns to the engine room. The first-choice XI already has a shape: Oblak; Llorente, Pubill, Hancko, Grimaldo; Giuliano, Hjulmand, Barrios, Baena; Kang-in and Julián or Lookman.

The criticism targets the distribution of resources. Questions are being asked about spending 25 million on Ruggeri and another 15 on the so-called Cutis Romerales while a replacement for Lenglet — who left for Benfica — has still not arrived. Pubill, Normando and Giménez cover the flank, but the spine is limping. The question hanging in the air: was it a priority to pay Tottenham 40 million for a winger rather than 16 to Racing for a centre-back?

The World Cup and the unease with the Argentine contingent

The international tournament left scars. Part of the fanbase argues that the Argentineisation of the dressing room has changed the club's DNA, and that Atlético belongs to Madrid, not Buenos Aires. The behaviour of some internationals is criticised — shoving, gestures, celebrations — and there are calls for no more players of that nationality to be signed. Another current recalls what the Argentines have given the club, especially in '74, and warns that mistaking grit for identity is a serious mistake.

Politics creeps into the dressing room

Marcos Llorente signed a statement addressed to Óscar Puente in which he reproached him for his management of the railways and his use of social media: "Isn't it about time you set Twitter aside and focused on the work we pay you for?" The text, widely commented on, accused politicians of behaving like thirteen-year-olds. The club, for its part, joined in the mourning for the victims of the Toledo rail accident.

The Depor game and a league lead within reach

Atlético beat Deportivo 1-0 with a goal from Grimaldo and a late save from Oblak. Depor missed an inexplicable chance in the final play, the kind you only miss when confidence is lacking. With the win, the team sit two points off the leader. The open question is whether this start can withstand the strain of the season or whether, as in 1991-92 and 1964-65, October's numbers end up as a mere footnote.