Why Alvarez is proving Guardiola’s’mistake’ worry

The rationale behind Alvarez’s realization of Guardiola’s “mistake”When discussing Pep Guardiola’s errors in the transfer market at Manchester City, Cole Palmer is the name that most individuals would mention.

However, the Premier League champions have also been haunted by a more recent sale, despite the fact that the Chelsea forward has become one of the greatest players in the league since departing the Etihad in the summer of 2023.

In August, when Julian Alvarez departed for Atletico Madrid, even City manager Pep Guardiola acknowledged that “it could be a problem” if his squad sustained injuries.

However, he was unable to anticipate the influence the Argentine forward would have in Spain after he joined for an estimated £81 million.

On Wednesday, the 24-year-old World Cup winner scored his 12th goal of the campaign to assist Atletico in defeating Slovan Bratislava in the Champions League.

Alvarez also contributed to the other two goals scored by Antoine Griezmann, extending Madrid’s winning streak to ten consecutive matches across all competitions.

Nigel Spackman, a former midfielder for Liverpool and Chelsea, stated to TNT Sport, “He is a striker who is currently making the game appear effortless.” “It is a source of pride and joy to have him with us.”

Alvarez has begun to make a significant impact, despite the fact that his statistics are far from Palmer’s 57 goal involvements in 62 games since joining Chelsea.

In 24 appearances, he has contributed 12 goals and two assists, which have led Atletico to third place in La Liga, just three points behind leaders Barcelona, and 11th in the Champions League standings.

In contrast, City have only achieved one victory in their most recent ten games due to the fitness and form issues of key players including Phil Foden, Kevin de Bruyne, Jack Grealish, and Jeremy Doku.

Haaland has scored only four goals during this period, despite having 18 goals in all competitions this term.

However, the club’s next highest scorer, who is six players behind him, has three goals. Alvarez’s remarkable record in the Champions League is further bolstered by his four goals.

, Julian’s teammate, stated, “He is an exceptional player.” It is a source of pride and pleasure to have him with us. It is our hope that we will continue to assist him and derive pleasure from his presence.

Alvarez has been directly involved in 12 goals in as many Champions League starts, netting nine and providing three assists. To provide context, it required 24 appearances for his compatriot Lionel Messi to score 12 goals in the same competition.

This implies that of the players who have played 1,000+ minutes in the history of the competition, only Haaland has a higher minutes per goal or assist ratio than Alvarez’s 98.