How Julián Álvarez Turned from a Role Player Into One of Manchester City's Most Important Players

ALABAMA - After a first season that saw him play a more secondary role within a Treble-winning team, it seems like Julián Álvarez has finally settled down in England. His second season with Manchester City has seen the Argentine rise from a role player to eventually lead the Man City attack, playing a key part in Pep Guardiola's possession-based system.

It wasn't an easy adaptation for Álvarez, who had to fight for playing time against players such as Riyad Mahrez and Phil Foden last season. As the Algerian winger departed England for an opportunity in Saudi Arabia, Álvarez' chances to become a regular in Guardiola's starting XI's grew bigger. Those chances went up exponentially when Kevin De Bruyne suffered an injury that put him on the sidelines for several months.

These opportunities granted "La Araña" a better chance to shine playing in a position that better suits his strengths. Last season, Álvarez occupied the spaces created on the wings, as players such as De Bruyne and Bernardo Silva were the ones in charge of progressing the ball through the middle of the pitch. In an attempt to minimize De Bruyne's absence, Guardiola has given Álvarez a more centralized position this season and he's developed into Erling Haaland's striking partner, and most importantly, into the team's focal attacking point.

During his first season in the Premier League, Álvarez managed to score 9 goals, 3^rd-most by any Man City player, but ended the season with zero assists in league play. In his new role, Álvarez has started the season in more of a "creator" role and has dished out a team-high 6 PL assists this season. Across the entire league, only Mohamed Salah, Kieran Trippier and Pedro Neto (7) have assisted in more goals than the young Argentine star so far this PL season.

If we look at his heatmap from this season, we can see that Álvarez has tremendously increased his impact in Man City's buildup game. He is averaging more than double the touches per game (50.3) than his average from the season prior (23.3).

Most of his touches in the Premier League are now coming from centralized positions, compared to when he played as a winger in 2022-23. Moving Álvarez to the middle has allowed him to use exceptional vision to create scoring opportunities for his teammates. Only Phil Foden (11) has completed more through-balls than Álvarez among Man City players this PL season (9).

Considering the huge improvement of Álvarez all-around play, perhaps none are as important as the partnership he has developed with Haaland. Three of his eight assists in all competitions have been to the Norwegian. Álvarez has also assorted himself as the designated set-piece taker, scoring a couple of wonderful free-kicks including one in the UEFA Champions League.

With Kevin De Bruyne close to returning to full fitness, it will be interesting to see if Julián Álvarez' role changes again. It will be a tough decision to make for Guardiola as the Argentine has been his team's most consistent performer so far this season. One thing is clear though, "La Araña" has developed into the perfect player for Man City's system and will be key in their quest to a FIFA Club World Cup triumph.