Martin Petrov believes Atletico de Madrid’s continuing transfer uncertainty over Julian Alvarez has damaged both the club and the player, while warning that Diego Simeone is facing growing dissatisfaction from supporters.
The former Bulgaria winger, who remains based in Madrid, also criticised Real Madrid’s repeated complaints about refereeing decisions and said Barcelona’s outstanding start to the season makes them the team to beat in LaLiga.
Real Madrid reacted angrily after their derby defeat by Atletico, particularly over a challenge involving Lee Kang-in which could have resulted in a red card.
Petrov said the decision should be reviewed by the relevant authorities, but argued Madrid had sufficient time to win the match even with 11 players on the pitch.
“Real Madrid have got used to blaming the referees whenever they lose,” he said. “Why didn’t they outperform the opponent and win during those 60 or 70 minutes?”
He also questioned the club’s decision to publicise its complaints, saying Madrid should concentrate more on their own football. Petrov added that pressure on manager Jose Mourinho would increase if results did not improve, after a poor start and criticism from journalists.
He said Madrid’s disputes with referees, LaLiga president Javier Tebas and others had gone too far.
“I can’t remember a match that Real Madrid lost and afterwards admitted: ‘Today we were terrible, and we lost,’” he said. “They are always looking for the blame elsewhere.”
Barcelona set the early pace
Barcelona have won seven of their opening seven games, moving five points ahead of Atletico and six clear of Real Madrid.
Petrov said Hansi Flick’s side had shown “incredible” form, scoring three or four goals in every match so far, although injuries, suspensions, international fixtures and the Champions League would test their squad over a long season.
He praised Barcelona’s quality in every position, their discipline and their ability to regain possession within one or two seconds of losing it. Their high defensive line remained vulnerable if opponents escaped the press, he said, but he could not see many LaLiga teams outplaying them.
Petrov hopes Atletico remain in the title race, but believes last season’s 25-point gap behind Barcelona exposed deeper problems. He said Atletico effectively abandoned the league during the final seven or eight rounds while concentrating on cup competitions they ultimately failed to win.
Simeone gave opportunities to several young players, but Petrov said supporters were increasingly unhappy with the club’s approach. Atletico regularly sell five or six players and spend heavily on replacements, yet continue to finish third or fourth.
“Finances aren’t the problem,” he said. “The results aren’t there. That’s what hurts the fans.”
Petrov was unconvinced that the arrivals of Cristian Romero, Lee Kang-in, Morten Hjulmand and Alejandro Grimaldo would transform the team. He described them as good players rather than major stars, while criticising Romero’s conduct and saying Atletico had previously sold players with similar qualities.
He pointed to the 3-0 defeat by Athletic Bilbao as evidence that Atletico’s problems remained unresolved.
Alvarez saga has hurt everyone
Petrov said Atletico should have accepted a reported €120 million plus bonuses for Alvarez, who had made clear he wanted to leave. He believes the striker could instead depart next year for €50–60 million.
“Atletico lost from the whole saga; the club lost, and the fans lost,” he said.
Alvarez has been booed by supporters, while Barcelona sporting director Deco recently indicated that the Catalan club had abandoned plans to sign him. Petrov said Barcelona would have benefited from acquiring him, but were performing well without him.
He compared the situation with Antoine Griezmann, who returned to Atletico after joining Barcelona and eventually restored his standing with supporters. Petrov said a hat-trick at the Metropolitano could have a similar effect for Alvarez.
Simeone’s embrace of Alvarez before the derby suggested the pair had spoken, Petrov said, adding that the forward appeared more positive against Real Madrid. He believes the player had suffered a psychological slump during the final week or two of the transfer window.
Petrov said Atletico should have spoken to Alvarez before the World Cup and persuaded him that he would be central to a new project alongside Simeone, Apollo and David Villa. Instead, speculation continued until Alvarez said he wanted to join a club competing to win trophies.
Asked about the Ballon d’Or, Petrov said Lamine Yamal, Kylian Mbappe and Raphinha were all worthy candidates, but argued the award had become unnecessarily controversial.
“Whoever wins it, these are footballers whose performances you should simply enjoy on the pitch,” he said.
