Ahead of Man City’s trip to face Sheffield Utd in Gameweek 3, we assess the FPL merits of Argentine World Cup winner Julian Alvarez.
If you’re a striker playing for Man City and your name isn’t Erling Haaland, you are bound to play second fiddle, even if you are a player who boasts a World Cup medal. And that’s exactly what Julian Alvarez has had to do since he joined City from River Plate last year.
However, Pep Guardiola is clearly a fan of the 23-year-old and will try and fit him into his starting line-up wherever possible. With Riyad Mahrez having left the club this summer and creative force Kevin De Bruyne currently out of action with injury, Alvarez has been filling in one of the attacking slots behind Erling Haaland – a role he played on occasion last season.
Gameweek 2 saw Alvarez score the only goal of the game in the 1-0 victory over Newcastle, so it would be a surprise if Guardiola did not select the 23-year-old in his starting line-up once again. With Bernardo Silva having also been absent recently, there hasn’t been as much competition for places as usual so Alvarez looks as assured a starter as he’s ever been in his City career to date.
This has tempted many FPL bosses to invest in Alvarez. It’s rare to own two strikers from the same club in your fantasy team, but this seems like one of those occasions where it could pay dividends. Gameweek 3 sees Man City travel to face newly-promoted Sheffield Utd – a fixture in which last season’s treble winners could run riot. If that is to be the case, it would be no surprise if Alvarez is a contributor given his keen eye for goal.
Alvarez accounted for nine goals and three assists in his debut Premier League campaign last year, and the early signs are that he is likely to eclipse those numbers. Having already risen in price this week, it may not be long before Alvarez features in the majority of FPL teams so moving for him early looks like an astute approach.