Simeone leaves Lookman unused as Atletico Madrid’s title hopes suffer Barcelona defeat

Atletico Madrid missed the chance to move top of La Liga and are now five points behind Barcelona after losing 2-1 to Hansi Flick’s side, despite taking the lead in the match.

Diego Simeone chose not to bring on Nigeria forward Ademola Lookman, even though Atletico still had one substitution available. The decision attracted attention because his side were chasing an equaliser and had already made four changes, all of them with an attacking emphasis.

Simeone used his substitutions across three separate windows. Alexander Sørloth was introduced first, followed by Højlund and Cardoso, before Jonathan David came on in the 78th minute.

However, Lookman remained on the bench throughout the game. Julian Alvarez, meanwhile, stayed on the pitch for the full match despite being subjected to jeers from sections of the Atletico support.

The decision was particularly striking given the circumstances. Frenkie de Jong was being used as an emergency right-back, while Atletico needed to overturn a 2-1 deficit. In any other situation, the Nigerian winger might have been regarded as the obvious option to provide an additional attacking threat.

Instead, Simeone opted against using him, despite still having the opportunity to make a fifth change.

Lookman is experiencing a difficult period at Atletico Madrid, with his current performances a long way below the level he showed during his first months at the Metropolitano. Simeone has repeatedly highlighted the issue in his news conferences and has continued to demand more from the Nigeria international.

The forward has already scored twice against Barcelona, but on this occasion he could only watch as Atletico’s hopes of challenging for the La Liga title suffered another setback. He was not given the opportunity to help his team recover from the defeat.

Atletico now need Lookman to rediscover his best form, but the player still has considerable work to do to regain Simeone’s confidence.

The La Liga schedule listed Barcelona, Villarreal, Getafe and Atletico Madrid on 22 November 2026.