All these years, Pep Guardiola has gone through ‘torment’ with his center-forwards. Sergio Aguero was too often absent due to injuries, while the Spanish expert did not even look at Gabriel Jesus as the central striker. However, in just a few months, the management of Manchester City fulfilled his primary wish, which he failed to fulfill last summer, by signing two super-talented strikers.Erling Haaland to immediately help in the attack on the Champions League, and Julian Alvarez as a pledge for the future. Or is the Argentine already mature enough for the Premier and the Champions League?Fri 03:00: (1.48) Boca Juniors (4.20) Deportivo Cali (8.00)Alvarez became a Man City player past winter, signing from River Plate for 17 million euros, but the Cityzens left him at Monumental Stadium to pump up his confidence before coming to Europe. According to the agreement between the two clubs, the 22-year-old striker should stay in the River until the summer, after which he will join the first team of the English champions.”We had several offers from the clubs to send Julian Alvarez on loan, but he will not leave. He will do the preparation period with us and I think he will stay. Barcelona? No, Barça are not interested,” commented Man City CEO Ferran Soriano on the situation around Alvarez. Little did he know what would happen just a day later.Because, if the executives of Man City were thinking about sending Alvarez on a new loan, it can be said that the young Argentine solved that dilemma for them last night. Julian scored SIX goals in the last round of the group stage of the Copa Libertadores against Allianz Lima (8-1) and sent a clear message to Pep Guardiola – I am ready.##EDITORS_CHOICE##It is easy to comprehend that Alvarez wrote a piece of history of River as the first football player with six goals scored in one official match, on the 121st birthday of the great club from Buenos Aires. At the same time, he became only the second player in the history of the Copa Libertadores to succeed in such a feat, since before him, only the former footballer of Bolivian side Blooming, Juan Carlos Sanchez, did the same back in 1985.With last night’s six goals, he also reached the level of 51 goals (in 115 games) and is currently four goals away from Rafael Santos Borre and the status of the best scorer in the era of Marcelo Gallardo on the River Plate’s bench. A hat-trick in the first half, another in the second and a new Manchester City striker deservedly took two game balls home.”It is difficult for Julian to stay, because there is a team that has made a big investment. Manchester City has an uncut diamond in their hands. We are a country that exports players. Many players have left lately and we have been trying to survive. It will not be easy to replace. We will not be able to find another Julian. He will play the first round of the knockout phase and then he will go to a new destination,” Gallardo said at the conference after the match.The Argentine expert used the opportunity to ask Guardiola to leave Alvarez at his disposal until the end of the calendar year.”Can I ask Guardiola to leave him here for another six months? If they want to leave him heree until the end of the year, we will have no problems with the strikers and we will be grateful. We will prepare a footballer who is ready to step forward, but we can give him more space. He (Guardiola, author’s note) will not listen to my request, but we would be grateful if he would leave Julian here until the end of the year.”, Gallardo pointed out.However, it is unlikely that Pep will indulge his colleague from River. If we take into account the frequent injuries of Erling Haaland in the previous year, but also the desire of Gabriel Jesus to leave the club in the summer, City will need a reserve striker. And that could open the door to the Etihad for Alvarez. Cityzens have often ‘shopped’ in South America in previous years, but none of the many talents from over there have managed to find their way to the first team. The popular ‘Spider’ could be the first.Julian Alvarez scored six goals in a single game. Man City might have found a gem. pic.twitter.com/gmnsMfoCdn— NextGenFootball ⚽ (@nextgenfutball) May 26, 2022
