Oct 11, 2023, 07:46 ET
And to think that many believed that the best thing would be that Julian Alvarez will leave Manchester City looking for more minutes…
ESPN on Star+ arrived in Latin America!
All ESPN content can be enjoyed via streaming with Star+. Subscribe NOW.
However Pep Guardiola had a plan for the Argentine, who in his first months in England was mostly a relief. However, the Catalan coach always took him into consideration and his praise, which in view of the minutes he gave him on the field seemed only for the cameras, today makes total sense.
In this second season in the multiple champion teamthe forward has been having many more opportunities since the start and his exceptional performance has made him an undisputed figure in the starting eleven.
Editorial Selections
2 Related
Today, Julián is a starter at Manchester City. Yeah, Erling Haaland He still carries the greatest burden of scoring goals, but Álvarez was the one who resolved or unlocked matches who showed up or were complicated in the process for their club.
In the Premier Leaguethe ex-River He has been in the eight games played since the beginning and, two of the three goals he scoredwere important in achieving the victory (1-0 against Newcastle and opened the 5-1 win over Fulham).
Haaland, from the numbers with 8 goals in 8 games, is still incredible, but when you look a little deeper the game and the performance, that’s where Julián makes the difference.
It is not about denying the quality of the Norwegian attacker, but rather highlighting that the Argentine’s contribution goes beyond the scores. If the Viking does not get the ball, he can disappear from the game. Instead, Álvarez is much more involved in the game, in setting up the attacks and recovering. (He gave two assists and was key to the comeback against West Ham). He provides another sacrifice and, if that were not enough, he is also taking charge of the dead ball.
His role at Manchester City is increasingly important. The clearest proof is that Guardiola also used it in the matches of UEFA Champions League of this season and returned the credit with a double for the 3-1 victory over Red Star Belgrade and scored 2-1 in the 84th minute for what was a 3-1 victory on the visit to Leipzig.
Julián opted to stay in one of the most powerful teams of the moment in Europealthough that meant fighting it from behind, having to wait for his moment and make the most of every minute he was given and today that is paying him off.
Instead of choosing the “comfort” of going to a smaller club where he would have guaranteed ownership, but in return he would play for much smaller goals, He chose the most difficult path (although not so long) and constantly competes for titles both in England and on the continent.
All this (exponential) growth of Julián from Manchester City is also a gain for the Argentine National Team and just as he won the place in the Qatar World Cup ahead of Lautaro Martínezthe scorer that Lionel Scaloni always opted for, now that the striker Lionel Messi is physically recovered and in great football shape, once again puts the coach in the “trouble” of having to decide on one or have to tweak the scheme that gave you so much satisfaction.
But the best of all for Scaloni is that, whoever he chooses, he can never go wrong.
2023-10-11 15:04:43
#Julián #Álvarez #substitute #figure #season #Manchester #City
