Sport
Is Julian Alvarez the next Pep Guardiola project?
When Pep Guardiola arrived at Manchester City in the summer of 2016, the assumption was he would set them on the way to domination instantly. Only with hindsight has it become evident how much rebuilding they had to do to create a squad up to his standards, able to play his unique and immense style of football.
There were 10 wins from 10 games to start that campaign but they turned out to be a red herring. The first time they faced a top side with a structured identity, Mauricio Pochettino’s Tottenham, they came unstuck and, by January, their title hopes were in tatters. Guardiola’s team wasn’t good enough in attack and he felt the heat from critics who said he wasn’t active enough in the transfer window.
Leroy Sane went on to be a crucial signing for him, as did Ilkay Gundogan but with Sergio Aguero struggling at the time, they were lacking a spark high up the pitch. Gabriel Jesus, a teenage Brazilian striker signed from Palmeiras, didn’t arrive until the winter. His impact was instant, three goals in his first two games, and he gave City that extra dimension they were missing.
Although not technical like Sane, Jesus was the ultimate poacher who worked hard. Not only on his game, shaped and moulded by Guardiola but also for the team, too. He was adored by the manager and there were whispers that he could ultimately oust Aguero as the team’s main striker.
That didn’t happen. Jesus was cut down early on by a metatarsal injury and couldn’t pick up where he left off consistently on his return. Guardiola still rates him and likes his work rate, but he has found a place for him out wide in a team that has never replaced Aguero and instead found an identity without a traditional focal point.
Despite City’s frustrating draw at Southampton on Saturday night, crisis isn’t exactly threatening to derail their latest title charge. In the five years since Jesus started scoring and the club began to look more attached to Guardiola, they have won four Premier League crowns and are set for a fifth already.
There is no need to reinvigorate anything, although there has been speculation that the manager, who did make a play to sign Harry Kane from Spurs in the summer, is looking to find another option to take the mantle on in the way Jesus promised to initially, in this window.
Julian Alvarez, the 21-year-old Argentine attacker currently impressing with River Plate, is said to be on the verge of signing for Man City. A number of top European clubs are keeping an eye on him, but last week there was a sense that City would be at the front of the queue for his signature. He is far from the type of striker who would traditionally thrive in England but perhaps that is why Guardiola is so interested.
Aguero faced a similar critique, as did Jesus, and the all-conquering former Barcelona and Bayern Munich boss has reshaped the game around him so many times that the idea of what suits the English game is even more mythical than it was. It is nothing but a tired cliché to suggest that only the tallest, most physical players can thrive and even that there is such a thing as a universal acclimatisation period.
At 5 foot 7 and also able to play out wide, Alvarez may be the perfect solution to keeping Guardiola’s striking options fresh. He is naturally a striker with an eye for goal — 23 goals in 57 games for River prove as much — but can also pull away from the box, drop deep and get involved centrally and out wide.
To suit Guardiola, game intelligence, whatever your position, is absolutely paramount but as a man who has spent his entire career attempting to break down the barriers of traditional footballing roles, that needs to manifest itself as versatility. Alvarez has that in droves, and this makes him a really exciting prospect for City.
Talk of widespread changes have died down since they have re-established themselves as the strongest force in English football but during Liverpool’s first successful Premier League campaign in 2019/20, there were dissenting voices talking about a rebuild. With Guardiola already enjoying his longest reign at any club, there are questions over his long-term future.
He is almost impossible to replace but leaves a lasting impression. Signing somebody of Alvarez’s ilk and calíbre would point to a new future with Guardiola at the helm. That can only be a good thing.
When at his best, Guardiola takes talent to a new level. He is often criticised for the amount of money he spends, but it could be argued that nobody is as good as him when it comes to developing and coaching the elite. Were he to work with Alvarez, he could easily helped another star of tomorrow shine.
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