Former Atletico Madrid goalkeeper Roberto Jimenez says summer signing Julian Alvarez has helped propel the club into an unexpected La Liga title charge | OneFootball

Roberto Jimenez’s former team Atletico Madrid are having an excellent season, sitting top of La Liga at Christmas, having won 12 games in a row.

And they have benefited from some excellent summer signings. One of whom being Julian Alvarez from Manchester City.

“He’s making the difference. If we look at the attack with him and Griezmann, it’s a very dangerous attack you are talking about,” Jimenez said. “He’s showing up. He’s scoring, he’s assisting, he’s dribbling. He’s also helping defensively, as he knows he has to if he wants to play for Simeone. But he’s been one of the best signings, not only for Atleti but in the whole league.”

Atletico are top of the league on 41 points, one point above rivals Real, and three points above Barcelona. And it is their forward duo that is impressing. Antoine Griezmann has long been one of the best players in La Liga, but his link-up with Alvarez has been exceptional.

The pair also have a combined 18 goal involvements so far this season and have been vital for Diego Simeone’s side.

Jimenez’s thoughts on Kylian Mbappe

The former goalkeeper believes Kylian Mbappe’s underwhelming start to life at Real Madrid will very soon be a forgotten memory.

The French forward made the blockbuster move from PSG to Real Madrid in the summer on a free transfer. His numbers read very well, with ten goals and two assists in 16 league games, but he has failed to meet expectations since moving to Spain.

For the talent that Mbappe is, and the expectation that came with his signing, he has disappointed. He has missed 14 big chances so far in the league and his shot conversion rate is only 14%, much lower than it was at PSG.

“When you are in a club with such stars, he looks around and he’s not the only star in his team, Jimenez explained. “It’s too hard to say that Real Madrid didn’t need him, because every team needs the best players in the world. But it’s true that his situation has created a lot of expectations from the fans.

“As fans we all want the best version of Mbappe every single game but he’s a human being and he’s in a new club and a new system. Everybody is looking to him. We know that superstars need to manage all these things. But I don’t think it’s gonna be a problem for Real and at the end of the season we will be talking about a very different situation with Mbappe.”