1 week Ago By Upamanyu Sanyal
Julian Alvarez has been superb for Atletico Madrid this season and his performances might just make Pep Guardiola regret his decision of letting him leave Manchester City. New Delhi: Cole Palmer is the first player most people think of, when discussing Pep Guardiola’s errors in the Manchester City transfer market. Although the Chelsea attacker has emerged as one of the league’s top players since departing the Etihad in the summer of 2023, the Premier League winners have also been plagued by a more recent sale.
When Julian Alvarez left for Atletico Madrid in August, Pep Guardiola, the manager of City, acknowledged that “it could be a problem” if his team suffered injuries. However, he was unable to foresee the impact the Argentine attacker, who had joined for an estimated £81 million, would have in Spain. The 24-year-old World Cup champion helped Atletico defeat Slovan Bratislava in the Champions League on Wednesday by scoring his 12th goal of the season.
Alvarez also contributed to Antoine Griezmann’s other two goals, giving the Madrid team ten straight victories across all competitions. Antoine Griezmann on Julian Alvarez’s presence in the squad 🇫🇷🇦🇷✨ Antoine Griezmann: “Julián [Alvarez] is an outstanding player; it’s a joy and a source of pride to have him with us. Hopefully we can keep helping him and enjoy having him around.
” pic.twitter.com/kFF7lDLFSQ — Atletico Universe (@atletiuniverse) December 11, 2024 In as many Champions League appearances, Alvarez has contributed directly to 12 goals, scoring nine and providing three assists.
For comparison, it took fellow countryman Lionel Messi 24 games to score 12 goals in the same competition. The only player with a higher minutes per goal or assist ratio than Alvarez’s 98 is his former teammate, Erling Haaland, who has played 1,000+ minutes in the competition’s history. The Argentine is getting largely praised for what he is producing on the pitch for Atletico after a slow start to his campaign.
Julian Alvarez’s teemmate, Antoine Griezmann said: “Julian is an outstanding player. It’s a joy and a source of pride to have him with us. Hopefully we can keep helping him and enjoy having him around.
” That is some appreciation from a player who has been at the club for a while now and is already considered as a legend for Atletico Madrid. He himseld has been prolific so far, playing along side Julian Alvarez, with four goals and two assists in the Champions League. Why did Alvarez leave City? Alvarez made 103 appearances for City after joining from River Plate in 2022, tallying 36 goals and dishing out 18 assists.
The 2022 World Cup winner was trailing the prolific Haaland despite his form and his victories in the Premier League and the Champions League. Despite his desire to keep Alvarez at the Etihad, Guardiola said that the player had wanted a “new challenge” and had asked to leave the team. The Spaniard said: “He believes his period here must be over so both clubs arrive to an agreement.
” He further stated that the club loves him a lot for his behavior, but if the player wants to leave the club and find new challenges elsewhere, there has to be a good agreement between the club and the player. The Argentine left City for a sum total of more that $100 Million and joined the Atletico side. Despite having a slow start to his life in Spain, he has shown signs of justifying the pricetag.
Is Pep Guardiola already regretting his decision of letting Alvarez go? 🔵 Man City (without Alvarez): 1 Win in last 10 games 🔴 Atletico Madrid (With Alvarez): 10 wins in last 10 games Julian Alvarez was the point of difference. He played in so many positions last season when City were struggling with injuries. But this season there’s none to.
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twitter.com/RCvIP1GXb3 — Premiumerza (@PREMIUMERZA) December 12, 2024 Alvarez has begun to have a significant impact, even though his stats pale in comparison to Palmer’s 57 goal involvements in 62 games since joining Chelsea. In 24 games, he has scored 12 goals and provided two assists, propelling Atletico to third place in La Liga, three points behind champions Barcelona, and 11th place in the Champions League rankings.
However, because of injuries and form issues with important players like Phil Foden, Kevin de Bruyne, Jack Grealish, and Jeremy Doku, City have only won once in their last ten games. Despite having 18 goals throughout all competitions this season, Erling Haaland has only managed to score four goals during this time. However, the team’s next top scorer has three goals, a position where six different players are tied on.
Alvarez’s remarkable Champions League record is further cemented with his four-point total. With just nine goals in their previous 10 games, Manchester City have a major problem ahead of them as their star striker Erling Haaland is far from his best and other players clearly not stepping up to take the charge. Earlier, Julian Alvarez was a rather dependable presence in the squad and during Haaland’s absence, he would always step up and deliver the goods, something which is missing in this City squad this season.
This might just be one of the biggest mistakes that Pep Guardiola has made during his legendary stint at City and so far it has looked like this decision has come back to haunt him. Click for more latest Football news . Also get top headlines and latest news from India and around the world at News9.
Upamanyu Sanyal has been a sports content writer for a while now. He is a sports enthusiast and a dedicated sports writer working under News9. He has been following football since 2009 and has written a numerous analytical as well as factual pieces on the beautiful game.
He himself has played football at a very high level and he loves to write, report and debate about football stories..
