According to Marca, Grimaldo's defensive capabilities are being questioned, and Hincapie or Tsimikas could play left-back in the match against Liverpool.

Grimaldo's issues in defending his flank once again highlight longstanding vulnerabilities at left-back that have yet to be resolved. Galán was pierced by Liverpool in the space of two minutes a year ago.

While it would be unfair to blame Grimaldo entirely for Atlético Madrid's failure at San Mamés, it cannot be denied that Simeone continues to face persistent problems at left-back, as in previous seasons. Moreover, Atlético Madrid are about to visit Anfield, where Galán suffered at the hands of Salah a year ago, conceding two goals in just two minutes, between the 4th and 6th minute. Bilbao's lapse in concentration lasted those same two minutes, and the Spanish international appeared on screen in what was nearly his worst form. It seems Liverpool have sounded the alarm bells.

Grimaldo joined the Metropolitano with the prestige of a World Cup champion. Although Cucurella kept him on the bench with minimal playing time, and he was Atlético Madrid's initial target, it was only after Real Madrid intervened that Atlético Madrid turned to alternatives. Combined with his "striker-level" statistics at Leverkusen—30 goals and 45 assists in 145 appearances—his first matches since joining have raised questions about his defensive ability.

Beyond being easily beaten by Roberto Navarro for the 2-0 goal at San Mamés after being deceived, and failing to protect his flank on the 1-0 goal that forced Hincapie to cover for Iñaki Williams, Grimaldo also allowed Miguel Sierra to freely shoot from his wing when Sevilla scored in the previous round. These are clear signs that Simeone needs to address a long-standing problem.

Specifically, this issue has existed since Filipe and Lucas Hernández departed in 2019, as no true successor has filled that void. Lodi, Galán, and Ruggeri have all been affected by defensive shortcomings, though Ruggeri has performed acceptably in some matches against Yamal; meanwhile, Reinildo, while solid as a wall, lacks attacking contribution.

In fact, even Reguilón has been unable to fill this gap. Simeone has often resorted to temporary solutions, such as pushing Saúl up to that position, moving Hermoso to the wing, or directly deploying wingers like Carrasco. These emergency measures are now the alternatives for the trip to Anfield.

Hincapie emerges as a strong candidate.

In this situation, the possibility of Hincapie playing left-back against Liverpool is increasing. On one hand, this is to contain the flank, as Vinícius Júnior or Kylian Mbappé could pose a threat from there; on the other hand, Giménez has become increasingly influential in defense, and Atlético Madrid hope he can restore the solidity the back line had before, similar to the reliability when Filipe or Lucas held down both flanks. Admittedly, this is not the most natural position for the Slovak player, but given the lack of a specialist—which also explains why Atlético Madrid negotiated with Tagliafico until the final day of the transfer window, trying to solve all the numbers—Hincapie still seems the best option to restore order.

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