Atlético named its starting lineup for Athletic Bilbao Vs Atlético Madrid at San Mamés and left Julián out, choosing the same XI that had won at the Pizjuán. The move came before kickoff in LaLiga EA Sports and set the tone for a match already carrying extra weight.
That was why the lineup drew attention. Julián had been one of the main talking points before the game, but Simeone kept faith with the side that had already delivered away, starting Oblak, Llorente, Pubill, Hancko, Grimaldo, Giuliano, Hjulmand, Barrios, Lookman, Kang-in and Baena.
Athletic answered with Unai Simón, Areso, Yeray, Laporte, Yuri, Gerenabarrena, Galarreta, Navarro, Sancet, Nico and Iñaki Williams. The meeting at San Mamés also mattered because Athletic had returned there after two consecutive matches away, and Atlético said it would wear its third kit there for the first time.
Beyond the team sheets, the game carried the feel of a classic between two historic clubs, and that is where the friction sat. Athletic had been dealing with discontent inside different structures after the board decided to withdraw invitations, while Atlético arrived from a win at the Pizjuán and with no sign of a change in Simeone's preferred formula.
The immediate answer is simple: Julián was not starting, and Atlético was not improvising. Simeone trusted continuity, and the first message of the night was that the visitors intended to begin with the same structure that had already worked once before.
