Manchester City swatted aside Wolves in the Premier League on Saturday – and pundit Chris Waddle heaped praise someone who has lost a bit of prominence at the Etihad lately.
City put in a stellar performance against Wanderers to keep the pressure on Arsenal at the top of the Premier League table.
Arsenal had beaten Bournemouth 3-0 earlier in the day, and it was vital for Pep Guardiola‘s side to respond – and that they did, in style.
Erling Haaland scored four goals in a 5-1 win, and it was a ruthless display of finishing from the big man, who will surely now win the Golden Boot having moved five clear of his rivals.
Someone else who got in on the act though was Julian Alvarez – a player who has just lost a bit of prominence at the Etihad lately because of the returns of Haaland and Kevin De Bruyne.
But Chris Waddle made sure he got his flowers, as he praised the forward following his goal…
Chris Waddle believes Julian Alvarez is a ‘very unselfish player’ for Manchester City
Alvarez has become a victim of key players returning to the fold for City.
The £14 million ace was heavily involved in the first half of the season, with De Bruyne on the sidelines with his hamstring injury. Then, it was Haaland’s turn to be out, so Alvarez continued to feature.
But over the last couple of months, he’s been on the bench a bit more, with the duo back and Phil Foden also shining pretty much every game. Jack Grealish has also found a bit of form since returning from injury.
The Argentine remains an important player though, and former England winger Chris Waddle is a big fan of his. He said (via BBC Sport): “We know he scores goals, Alvarez is a very good footballer. He’s not going to get the number of goals Haaland does, he’s a very unselfish player but that is a very calm finish with his left-foot. Someone tell Haaland that is why he took him off.”
Alvarez remains one of the most heavily used City players this term. With 3437 minutes played so far, only six players in the squad have been on the pitch longer than him.
What a season it’s been from Alvarez
Regardless of how many trophies City finish with this season, it has been a top season for Alvarez, who really stepped up in the absence of key players.
The World Cup winner has scored 18 goals and provided 10 assists, and the 28 contributions are only bettered by Haaland and Foden.
If City do the double, then Alvarez – who Stefan Ortega has called ‘unbelievable’ at finishing – will have played a huge part in that.
Few probably really expected the 24-year-old to have been as good as he has since he signed for the club. Arriving at the same time as Haaland cannot have been easy.
But 35 goals and 18 assists from 100 appearances is very respectable indeed, and fans cannot wait to see how he progresses in the coming years.