Pep Guardiola and his praise for Julián Álvarez. photo by Reuters
He didn’t need his double inside Manchester City for the technical director to rave about. Pep Guardiola did not turn when asked about the conditions of Julian Alvarezwhich is in the shadow of the Norwegian Erling Haland. It was a press conference that turned into a cataract of positive phrases.
The question that elicited an eloquent answer was routine: a reporter wanted to know what aspects of the Argentine striker had surprised him and if he believed his level could be higher in the future.
“I’m surprised how good he is. I knew him from seeing him on TV playing for River Plate and obviously I think he will raise his level. He’s very humble and positive. He gives everything in every training session. A good impact in pre-season. and now he is having minutes. He has a sense of being in the right place. When he delays his position he has qualities to play. Everyone talks about Erling, but Álvarez is exceptional, “he said without euphemism.
“When Erling is not playing, we play Julián. Almost certainly. We are all impressed by his speed, his eye for scoring, his work ethic … with a lot of things,” added Pep.
Praise for the doll
“Our scout in South America, Joan Patsy, told me a year and a half ago that he was a special boy. He is very young and scored many goals in a team like River, with a lot of pressure to win everything. He was very well educated by Marcelo Gallardo and now we are enjoying it. I am very happy for him “, illustrious.
“Haaland is our starting forward, but against teams that are defending far behind, two guys like that, with that flair for goals, is very important. Julián deserves all the best and his work will always pay off,” he predicted. .
After the praise The spider scored fifth and sixth goals in City’s 6-0 win against Nottingham Forest, his first double in the Premier League, and 20 and 42 minutes were recorded in the final half.
Party against Nottingham
Manchester City beat Nottingham Forest 6-0 and remain unbeaten in the Premier League, with 13 points out of 15 possible, in second place in a competition led by Arsenal, who are in perfect shape. But despite the great protagonist of the match at the Etihad Stadium was Erling Haaland, who scored a hat-trick when only 38 minutes of play were played, it was Julián Álvarez who provoked the best reactions of Pep Guardiola, DT of the English team.
It is that the former River played for the first time as a starter after the praise of the Spaniard, and more than returned the trust that the coach had given him in the previous one. “Everyone talks about Erling (Haaland) but Álvarez is exceptional,” condemned Pep, not very fond of free compliments for his clients.
“He is very humble and positive. He gives everything in every training session. He had a good impact in the preseason and is now gaining minutes. In the last game he participated in two goals, he always has this sense of being right When he delays his position has quality to play, “added Guardiola.
And Julián answered him on the pitch. First, showing that hunger that dazzled Guardiola, moving behind Haaland and collaborating so that the Norwegian prince condemned the match against Forest in a few minutes. He pressed, retrieved, touched and searched. So he almost scored 1-0 after a corner kick, but they knocked him out on the line. Then he tries it from outside the box, swinging and throwing a left that hits the post. But the reward for the effort would come in the second half.
With the score 4-0 and Haaland taking care of his physique, Julián lets himself go and tries higher. He is thus face to face with the opposing goalkeeper, enters the area and takes a right cross that is worth 5-0 for the Citizens.
In the end, with the Scandinavian giant already on the bench, Julián was 9th and once again showed that he was in love: he caught a rebound inside the area and threw a left into the corner, which only served to decorate the result but which was celebrated as if it were victory. And one of those who experienced it this way was Guardiola, who jumped off the bench and applauded Julián’s brace.
Source: Clarin
