Pep Guardiola was full of praise for Julian Alvarez after Manchester City’s 4-0 win over Chelsea, saying he “missed his happiness” during the World Cup while claiming “he helps us a lot” with his industry and selfless play on the pitch.
The 22-year-old shone as Argentina won the 2022 World Cup in Qatar and he’s picked up where he left off at City, scoring and playing well in Sunday’s FA Cup clash.
Guardiola is delighted to see him continue his form, telling reporters: “I missed his happiness. He helped us a lot. We were aggressive (with) the way we went (at them). He played really, really well.”
Vital Man City noted how hard Alvarez was working for Argentina and his efforts weren’t ignored by manager Lionel Scaloni. The 22-year-old was benched for Argentina’s first two group games but quickly became a regular after impressing as a second-half substitute.
Alvarez would go on to play every game after that and was given 103 minutes in the final. After the tournament, he was eased back by Pep and did well in his first domestic start since the World Cup, playing a full 90 minutes against Chelsea.
Erling Haaland was an unused substitute on Sunday and might be rested against Southampton, so Alvarez could have to play twice in just a matter of days.
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