Diego Simeone remains confident Luis Suarez can turn things around following a very disappointing run of form.
Suarez has scored just once in Atletico Madrid’s last 12 games, with his only goal coming in the Copa del Rey, against lower league opponents Rayo Majadahonda.
Atleti have been on a very poor run of late, losing four of their last eight games, and Suarez’s dip in form certainly hasn’t helped.
It’s not great timing, either, with the Uruguayan out of contract at the end of this season, and with no new contract guaranteed given Suarez is now 34 years of age.
Suarez desperately needs to find the net in La Liga, and Wednesday’s Copa del Rey clash with Real Sociedad would be a good place to start.
In the meantime, Simeone has backed his striker to find his feet again, admitting he has kept on top of his frontman for months, not just jumping in at the point of a confidence crisis.
“We have spoken with Luis for two months about what I think of him, of how important he is for us and the situations that we create for him and without him on the pitch,” Simeone said in his pre-match press conference.
“What I think of him, he knows it and I didn’t speak to him after Sevilla, I have spoken to him for two months.”
