The first starting Argentine striker had a performance to never leave. Where he moved and the physical exertion, keys.
There may not be many attackers with the blast and physical stamina that Julián Álvarez has during the 2022 Qatar World Cup. He has an electricity in the short attack that sets him apart from the rest. Yes, Mbappe also flies. Yes, the top three in Brazil is lightweight. Yes, Foden is inexhaustible. Well, the Argentinian is – physically at least – at the pinnacle of all those things.
In the match against Poland, in which the Argentina national team qualified first in Group C, Scaloni started him for the first time in this tournament. And he can’t go out anymore.
The Argentina National Team switched tactically with Julián on the field. Scaloni put him in the left sector and left Messi as a kind of false striker or hitch, but well focused. For example, the Argentine captain had to manage the pressure with one of the two central defenders, while the City striker struggled with the right-back or central defender. Here is his first great value: under pressure, he lowers his head and wears out many rivals. It just won’t stop running.
Without the ball, Julián is a blessing for the playing style of the Argentina national team. He spends his time shooting diagonals, looking for the back of the defenders, but he’s also encouraged to turn from time to time, bounce back after a touch or two, and move again. He has already impregnated Guardiola’s DNA: he plays fast and never remains static.
It is true that he missed a few situations, but the goal he scored also speaks to his circumstances: in the area, he is able to receive a profile more from the back than from the front, settling in two touches with the target at the top and take a perfect shot. Still tilted to the left, he managed to create danger.
He didn’t have a very big say with the ball. In fact, he was the Argentine starting player with the fewest interventions, with 36 (for reference, the one leading this trend is De Paul with 165). He was also the one who made the fewest passes, with 21 (again, De Paul leads the way in that statistic, with 145). He made seven passes in the last third and they were all good.
Julián is a player of the last third. Always try to stretch. He is not that interested in a possible setback to make contact. It makes no sense with the number of midfielders there are. He is patient and responsible for generating opportunities for the rest. Solidarity, he comes in and out of the offside, he offers himself and never stays still.
He will not leave the team again. Lautaro Martínez’s poor performances, added to the Inter striker’s striking slowness to define a one-on-one against Poland towards the end of the match, are clear signs. Unless Scaloni goes looking for a 9 fighting between the centre-backs for a specific characteristic, the 22-year-old exRiver showed a necessary hierarchy for the national team. An energy that was missed. Julian Alvarez flies. You can’t miss it anymore.
Source: Goal