According to Marca, Grimaldo's defense has been questioned, and Hansko may play as a left-back against Liverpool.
Grimaldo's inability to cover his own flank brings to mind the long-standing problem at left-back. A year ago, Garland was breached by Liverpool in just two minutes.
Attributing Atletico Madrid's defeat at San Mamés entirely to Grimaldo is inaccurate, but it cannot be denied that Simeone continues to have the same problems at left-back as in recent years. Moreover, Atletico is about to visit Anfield, where Galin suffered a heavy blow a year ago, conceding two goals between the fourth and sixth points. Athletic Bilbao's lapse in concentration also lasted for two minutes, during which the Spanish international appeared on camera, arguably on the losing side. Therefore, Liverpool should be sounding the alarm.
When Grimaldo joined the Metropolitan Stadium, he was crowned with the glory of a World Cup victory. Although Cucurella kept him on the bench for most of the time, barely giving him playing time, and while he was initially Atletico Madrid's primary target, they only considered him an alternative after Real Madrid intervened. Furthermore, considering his "striker" stats at Bayer Leverkusen—30 goals and 45 assists in 145 appearances—his defensive performance in his first few matches after joining the club still raised questions.
Aside from easily scoring a 2-0 lead for San Mamés after being outmaneuvered by Roberto Navarro, and failing to defend his area on the 1-0 goal, requiring Hansko to cover Iñaki Williams, Grimaldo also allowed Miguel Sheilla to easily shoot on his side when he scored for Sevilla in the previous round. These are all clear signals that Simeone needs to address a long-standing problem.
More precisely, this problem has existed since Filipe Luis and Lucas Hernandez left in 2019, as none of their successors have truly filled the void. Roddy, Garland, and Ruggeri have all suffered due to defensive shortcomings, although Ruggeri performed reasonably well in some matchups against Yamal; while Reinierdo, though as solid as a wall, has been hampered by a lack of offensive contributions.
In fact, even Reguilón couldn't fill this gap. Simeone later responded with temporary solutions more than once, such as moving Saul to that position, pulling Hermoso to the wing, or directly fielding a wing-back like Carrasco. These contingency plans have now become alternatives when visiting Anfield.
Hansko became a popular choice
In this context, the possibility of Hansko playing as Liverpool's left-back is rising. On one hand, this is to cover the flanks, as either Victor Muñoz or Barcora could pose a threat from that side; on the other hand, Castro Romero is close to becoming the defensive leader, and Atlético Madrid hopes he can restore the backline to its former solidity, the reliability of Filipe Lucas on the flanks. Admittedly, this isn't the Slovakian player's most natural position, but in the absence of a dedicated replacement – which explains why Atlético Madrid negotiated with Tagliafico until the last day of the transfer window, trying to finalize the figures – Hansko still seems to be the best option for restoring order.
