Who would have guessed that Erling Haaland wouldn't be the most talked-about City striker following the World Cup on Thursday when Manchester City resumes play?
Even when he wasn't available before the World Cup, Haaland's availability dominated the pregame discussion, and City's performance was evaluated on how they fared without him rather than on who performed well in his absence.
As it turned out, Julian Alvarez made some significant strides in the weeks leading up to the domestic calendar's break, scoring three goals and dishing out two assists in his past three games, as part of a longer streak of five consecutive starts. In his last eight starts, which include the World Cup, he has scored seven goals and provided three assists. Oh, and a medal for winning the World Cup.
Alvarez and the rest of the Argentina team have just arrived in Buenos Aires to celebrate their championship, and the country has been granted a holiday to join them. He won't return in time for this week's Carabao Cup match against Liverpool, and nobody should expect him to.
Similar to his position at City, Alvarez began the World Cup as a distant second choice, playing in the shadow of an unstoppable superstar. Alvarez was inserted into the starting lineup, nevertheless, following a shocking loss against Saudi Arabia and a nail-biting victory over Mexico where Lionel Messi made the difference between one and three points. Argentina wouldn't have won the World Cup without him.
The City striker not only contributed goals, but he also scored four significant, well-placed goals. He didn't only support Messi; he gave him room to move forward and have a bigger impact on the knockout rounds. The Golden Ball was won by Messi.
and has a lot to thank Alvarez for his selfless running to open up space and divert defenders.
In just five starts, Alvarez transitioned from being the right-hand man to the backup. If City hadn't signed him in January for just £14 million, his value after seven appearances in Qatar would be far, far higher. Suddenly, City has the chance to use Alvarez in addition to Haaland rather than as a replacement.
Alvarez is qualified for that position, but Haaland will also need to adjust.
The current Blues lineup was assembled over the first few months of the season to provide Haaland the opportunity to shine at every club he has played for, including City.
Alvarez has contributed, though not significantly. He has been a willing backup up until now, but his crucial contribution to the World Cup victory may alter both his and Pep Guardiola's perspective.
Can Haaland share the scoring load and modify his style to complement a strike partner, allowing City to maximize the performance of both their world-class striker and World Cup champion in the same starting XI? With a demanding schedule of games and five points to make up in the Premier League, would Alvarez's promotion simply result in more rotation in the trying months to come?
Integrating the number nine of the champions is hardly the worst problem you acquire from the World Cup.
It's as much Haaland's obligation to do it right as it is Alvarez's or Guardiola's, and that presents a problem he hasn't had to deal with before.
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