Atlético Madrid traveled to Estadio Ramón Sánchez-Pizjuán Stadium on Saturday night to take on Sevilla in their first away match of the season, and boy was it a fun trip.
Following another week of the agonizing Julián Álvarez transfer saga, Diego Simeone’s players looked like they had some frustration to take out. Sevilla were the unfortunate recipients.
Álex Baena opened the scoring inside four minutes with a lovely finish following a fantastic assist from Lee Kang-in. Just before the first-half hydration
break, Atleti unleashed a brilliant team goal. Kang-in played a short pass to Pablo Barrios, who set up Ademola Lookman to extend the lead to 2-0.
Just after that hydration break, a deflection fell to Marcos Llorente, who laid the ball off for Baena to strike beautifully from outside the box and give Atlético a 3-0 lead heading into halftime.
Barrios’ class was on full display in the second half as Atleti searched for a fourth goal. Sevilla eventually pulled one back through Miguel Sierra, whose left-footed strike found the top-left corner of Jan Oblak’s net.
El Cholo will be frustrated not to have kept a clean sheet, but this was still an excellent result for an Atlético side trying to find its rhythm with several new signings and late arrivals from summer vacation.
Let’s discuss some takeaways from Atleti’s big win in Seville.
Baena and Barrios take center stage
Coming into this season, Baena’s goal was clear: score more goals than he did last year. We’ve talked about it repeatedly already, but playing such a major role for Luis de la Fuente’s World Cup-winning side was going to do wonders for his confidence and form in 2026/27.
For Atlético, the encouraging part is that Baena’s season is just getting started, and he’s already improved on his statistics from 2026/27. He looks far more comfortable finding pockets between the midfield and defensive lines, where he can turn, combine with teammates and attack the box from dangerous areas.
Baena hardly looks like the same player from last season. He’s playing with confidence and purpose, and the Sevilla defense had absolutely no answer for him as he scored his first brace since 2023. This is the version of Baena that Atleti spent €42 million to get, the player who established himself as one of Europe’s most productive attacking midfielders at Villarreal.
But there’s a strong argument that Barrios has been Atleti’s best player overall through three matches. Barrios’ availability was a major issue last season, so Atlético supporters will be thrilled to see the academy graduate complete the full 90 minutes. And man, did he impress in those 90 minutes.
On the stat sheet, Barrios recorded an assist, led the team in touches and completed 89 percent of his passes. Beyond the numbers, his ball carrying and presence in midfield were crucial as Atleti ramped up the pressure. Barrios is a difference-maker at this club, and his ability to drive the team forward could be key to how far Atlético go this season.
No striker? No problem
Against Villarreal last Sunday, the lack of a clear focal point in attack was a problem. Julián Alvarez was unavailable on Saturday as he continues to navigate his “personal process,” while Alexander Sørloth remains sidelined with the injury he picked up just before the season began.
Against Sevilla, those concerns seemed to fade away, at least temporarily. It reminded me of last season’s Copa del Rey quarterfinal with Real Betis, when Atleti also played without a traditional center forward. Simeone instead deployed a collection of attacking midfielders and wingers who took turns occupying central spaces and making runs to break down the Betis back line.
In the days leading up to this match, there was speculation that Giuliano would play as Atlético’s striker. Once the match began, however, he settled into his more familiar role on the right. Instead, Baena, Kang-in and Ademola Lookman drifted around the final third to attack Sevilla’s beleaguered back line.
Lookman particularly enjoyed the running directly at a full-back instead of tangling with a center-back. His goal was the obvious reward, but his movement also helped create space for Baena and Kang-in to operate around him.
While this style of play is fun to watch and has now worked against both Real Betis and Sevilla, it isn’t necessarily a sustainable solution. Atleti still need a true striker or center forward to serve as the focal point of the attack. That leaves one major question hanging over the club: Who is going to be Atlético’s number nine?
Obviously, Julián remains the biggest question mark. Odds are he stays at the club this season, meaning we unfortunately get to pick this fun saga back up again in January. Sørloth has been linked with a move to Juventus and remains sidelined without a clear timetable for his return. At the moment, the most realistic links for an incoming striker appear to be Richarlison, Jonathan David or Joshua Zirkzee.
Not sure about you, but those names don’t exactly inspire confidence in Atleti’s striker situation heading into September. If there is one positive, it’s that Simeone has already shown he can manufacture goals without a traditional number nine when the situation calls for it.
Atleti’s new signings make an instant impact
Perhaps Paris Saint-Germain are already having a little seller’s remorse over Lee Kang-in. The South Korea international has wasted no time making an impact at his new club. Everyone remembers his fantastic goal from outside the box against Málaga, but last night he showed another side of his game with a perfectly-weighted assist for Baena’s opener.
Kang-in has been exactly as advertised so far. When he came off the bench against Málaga, he provided an immediate spark and wasted no time testing the goalkeeper. In his second start against Sevilla, he showed off his playmaking ability and developing chemistry with Barrios. The early returns have been incredibly encouraging for Atlético.
Kang-in, Alejandro Grimaldo, Cristian “Cuti” Romero grabbed most of the headlines as Atlético’s marquee summer signings, and Morten Hjulmand appears to have taken that personally. The controversial penalty against Villarreal remains a blemish, and he was fortunate not to concede another with his challenge on Kike Salas tonight. But outside of those two moments, he has been a fantastic addition.
Barrios and Hjulmand appear to complement each other really well. Hjulmand is comfortable sitting deeper, recycling possession and protecting the space in front of the back line, which allows Barrios to play higher up the pitch and attack space more aggressively. Instead of constantly dropping deep to help progress the ball, Barrios can receive between the lines, carry possession into dangerous areas and have a much greater influence on Atlético’s attack.
Some people (like Into the Calderon staffer Ollie Cores) have compared Hjulmand to Tiago Mendes from Simeone’s early Atlético sides, and I can see it. Perhaps Gabi is mentoring Hjulmand on how to become Atleti’s next Tiago. If that’s the case, the future of Atlético’s midfield is in very good hands.
