{"id":13755,"date":"2026-11-10T00:15:45","date_gmt":"2026-11-10T00:15:45","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/globalnigerianews.com\/index.php\/2026\/11\/10\/simeone-loses-faith-in-lookman-after-barca-snub\/"},"modified":"2026-11-10T00:15:45","modified_gmt":"2026-11-10T00:15:45","slug":"simeone-loses-faith-in-lookman-after-barca-snub","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/globalnigerianews.com\/index.php\/2026\/11\/10\/simeone-loses-faith-in-lookman-after-barca-snub\/","title":{"rendered":"Simeone loses faith in Lookman after Barca snub"},"content":{"rendered":"

Diego Simeone\u2019<\/strong>s faith in Ademola Lookman appears to be wavering after the Atl\u00e9tico Madrid coach, who had publicly backed the Nigerian to rediscover his best form, left him on the bench throughout their defeat to Barcelona despite having another substitution available.\n<\/p>\n

Simeone had previously urged the forward not to become frustrated by his dip in form, insisting that hard work and belief would help him rediscover his confidence.\n<\/p>\n

\u201cI don\u2019t want him to get frustrated because he\u2019s not going through his best moment. This is work, this is believing in what you do,\u201d the Argentine said.\n<\/p>\n

But his decision to overlook Lookman in the Barcelona encounter has raised questions about whether that confidence is beginning to diminish.<\/p>\n

According to Spanish newspaper Sport, Simeone made only four substitutions despite Atl\u00e9tico chasing the game, leaving the Nigerian unused even with an additional change available.<\/p>\n

The coach kept Julian Alvarez on the pitch for the entire match despite the jeers directed at the forward, while Alexander S\u00f8rloth, David Hancko, Johnny Cardoso and Jonathan David were introduced in three separate phases.\n<\/p>\n

David came on in the 78th minute, but Lookman was not considered for the remaining minutes as Atl\u00e9tico sought a way back into the contest.<\/p>\n

The decision represents a frustrating development for the Nigerian, who had featured in all 11 of Atl\u00e9tico\u2019s LaLiga matches before the Barcelona game but managed just one goal, scored in their 3-1 victory over Sevilla in August.\n<\/p>\n

He has also recorded one goal and one assist in four Champions League appearances this season. <\/p>\n

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Related News<\/header>\n<\/p><\/div>\n

However, despite the growing concerns over his playing time, Spanish newspaper Marca reports that Atl\u00e9tico have not lost faith in the 28-year-old.\n<\/p>\n

\u201cNo one at Atl\u00e9tico Madrid has lost faith in Ademola Lookman.\n<\/p>\n

\u201cBoth the coaching staff and the dressing room are united in their determination to help him rediscover his best form and, above all, regain his confidence and morale. Nobody doubts his ability, and his attitude has never been called into question,\u201d the publication reported.\n<\/p>\n

Some Atl\u00e9tico supporters have also rallied behind the Nigerian, with one fan suggesting that Simeone, rather than Lookman, should shoulder the blame for the team\u2019s struggles.\n<\/p>\n

\u201cThe thing is Lookman was great last season because he was new and hadn\u2019t been coached by Simeone yet, similar situation with Kang in even all the players, you should only lose faith in Simeone not anyone,\u201d Kensuke Qiang wrote.<\/p>\n

Another supporter questioned why Lookman was not afforded the same patience as Alvarez, who has also endured difficult moments at the club.\n<\/p>\n

\u201cJulian wanted a new club a few months ago, started and played like shit. Why can\u2019t Lookman get the same grace?\u201d the fan queried.\n<\/p>\n

Lookman is back in Nigeria for the international break and will hope to inspire the Super Eagles to victories in their crucial 2027 AFCON qualifiers double-header 2027 against Tanzania.\n <\/p>\n

Source: <\/p>\n

Punch Newspapers – Latest News<\/div>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Diego Simeone\u2019s faith in Ademola Lookman appears to be wavering after the Atl\u00e9tico Madrid coach, who had publicly backed the Nigerian to rediscover his best form, left him on the… <\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[10],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-13755","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-news"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/globalnigerianews.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/13755","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/globalnigerianews.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/globalnigerianews.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/globalnigerianews.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/globalnigerianews.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=13755"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/globalnigerianews.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/13755\/revisions"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/globalnigerianews.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=13755"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/globalnigerianews.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=13755"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/globalnigerianews.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=13755"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}