JULIÁN ÁLVAREZ — Player Analysis
The crown jewel of River Plate. An academy graduate who rose through their ranks to become their brightest star. Scoring two goals to win the latest Superclássico for River, topping the club’s charts for goals and assists in the league and leading them in the pursuit of their long-awaited league title, while also being part of the Argentina squad in their long-awaited Copa América win. Julián Álvarez.
Born in January 2000, Álvarez joined the prestigious River Plate academy in 2016 and went on to make his senior debut in 2018. Since then he’s had 85 appearances for the first team, including cameos in two Copa Libertadores finals, against Boca Juniors and Flamengo. It was in 2020 though, that he cemented his place in the starting XI, gradually developing to become their main man, their greatest attacking threat. And right now… he is on fire, scoring eight and assisting three in his last five club matches.
To start with, these are his percentile ranks in the Argentinian league this season (among all players of his position with 600+ minutes played):
This is very impressive. He’s dominating Argentina and he’s only 21. So, how does he do it, how does he play?
Julián is essentially a forward, playing mostly as part of a striking duo, as River normally play in a 4–4–2 variation. And that’s what fits him best. But he’s also capable of playing as a winger or attacking midfielder.
In the build up phase, he is not much involved in actually building up, but is an excellent player to be at the receiving end of it. He does not tend to drop back very often but his movement and positioning allow progressive passes to be made to him, breaking opposition lines and progressing the ball quickly. In addition, he offers runs in behind the defensive line, either to stretch the opposition or to occasionally receive long balls into space.
It’s in attack, of course, that he actually shines. A very dynamic player, always moving, always looking to create passing lanes, always finding and creating space, showing up all across the attacking third. Again, his smart movements and positioning prove to be crucial. Álvarez is constantly looking to get on the ball, be it moving close to teammates to receive to his feet or running in behind the defensive line. The latter being a source of frequent danger to the opposition. He’s excellent at dismarking himself, finding space in a wide range of situations, also being a dangerous threat as a target for crosses and cut-back passes.
Upon receiving he shows his technical brilliance, with a superb first touch and top ball control. He’s also a very good dribbler, frequently beating defenders on 1v1 situations and smoothly evading pressure. Furthermore, he is a great passer too, linking up play in the final third with excellence. Add to that his very good finishing ability, accurate and powerful, as well as calm and composed in front of the keeper, besides his precise long shots, his quality crosses and his good left foot, and you have a very complete forward. In both technical and tactical senses, as he feels comfortable in any attacking role.
So, how does that translate into the game? With a high volume of different actions. Drifting around the attacking half to link up play, his quality passes help River reach more advanced areas, breaking lines and getting the ball into the box. An efficient and mobile progressor and playmaker. This is how he compares to his positional peers for progressive passes and deep completions per 90:
And when he drifts wide…
Crosses aplenty. A dangerous creator in diverse ways. Also, he often keeps the ball to himself and tries to take on opponents, and does so quite efficiently. He likes to carry the ball forward into space when it’s available, and when it’s not, he often creates it himself, beating markers at will. Again proving to be a great progressor of the ball, besides being a great dribbler. This is how he fares for successful dribbles and progressive runs per 90:
Most impressive, though, are his goal contributions. Scoring and assisting. I mean, look at the graph below. This is how he compares to other strikers in the league for Non-penalty Goals + Assists and Expected Goals + Expected Assists per 90:
Elite. A massive contribution to River’s goalscoring and creation. And these goals and assists come from a variety of situations. Runs in behind, quick combinations, long shots, solo carrying efforts, crosses, penetrating passes, set pieces, you name it. He’s unplayable. At 21 years of age.
And of course, this comes on top of tremendous cognitive gifts and top mentality. Julián is an accomplished reader of the game, displaying great decision making, quick reactions and very good vision. He’s very confident, aggressive and has a distinct attitude, always fighting for the win with a constant will to score and be decisive. He gives 100% with a tremendous work rate, working hard in all phases of the game.
This takes us to the defensive side of his game. Enjoying the lowest PPDA in the league, River Plate like to press high and intensively. And Álvarez fits in greatly, an energetic presser who puts a lot of effort both in the defensive phase and in counterpressing. Thus being among the forwards with the most defensive actions per 90 in the league.
Physically speaking, he is not that special. Fairly fast, with good acceleration, but not really supersonic. He’s quite agile though. Not especially strong or tall either, slim and 170cm tall, he’s not too competent on physical confrontations or aerial duels. What often gives him the edge, though, are his smart movements and quick thinking.
Julián Álvarez is a quite complete forward and one of the brightest prospects in South America right now. Devastating Argentina and leading River Plate in the pursuit of the league title, his recent call-ups to the national team are just the first of many, as he seems ready to wear the blue and white stripes for years to come.
He was slowly slotted into the first team by Marcelo Gallardo across the last three seasons and has finally taken the last step to the top, becoming a very dominant forward in Argentina and one of the best in the continent, if not the best one. The last step in South America, I mean. Europe is already knocking at his door, and it won’t be long until he makes his move. And, by the way, Gallardo himself is reportedly set to leave River Plate at the end of his current contract, by the end of the year, and the head coach is another Argentinian who has become too good for South America. He is most likely going to take over a European club, and, personally, I would love to see them reunited over there. Either way, both men deserve attention and are worth following. And they may be able to leave right after delivering the league title, the one trophy still missing in Gallardo’s cabinet. Might as well go out with a bang.
And when he does leave, whoever gets him will have a tremendous asset in their hands. A young forward capable of contributing in a wide range of ways, a great goalscorer, creator and progressor. So the race for his signing will likely be an intense one. Let’s see what the future holds, but his destiny does look bright.
Lucas Barth
