Julián Álvarez’s blow that scared everyone in Manchester City’s defeat against Brentford

After a week of celebrations for the title achieved in the Premier Leaguehe Manchester City closed their participation in the tournament with a 1-0 loss against Brentford. Ethan Pinnock scored the only goal of the match five minutes from the epilogue: the champion, with a cast with many substitutes, had several chances, including sets of Julian Alvarezwho was the starter, but the forcefulness was on the local side, which in any case was two points away from entering the international cups.

“We drank all the alcohol in Manchester,” he had confessed in the week Pep Guardiola; a phrase that he accompanied with concern for the physical and footballing state of his pupils in view of the next two finals on the horizon: the FA Cup against Manchester United (next Saturday, June 3) and the definition of the Champions League against Inter (on Saturday the 10th in Turkey).

That is why he included several of the usual substitutes in the lineup, and among them the Araña jumped onto the field, who was active, and also suffered a scare in the stoppage time of the first half. It is that they threw a center from the right and, when jumping from it, he was destabilized and fell on his side, hitting his hip with the grass and showing obvious gestures of pain.

The scene, given the proximity of the aforementioned finals and the friendlies of the Argentine team against Australia in Beijing and Indonesia in Jakarta, caused concern in the club and among fans of the Albiceleste. Especially since he limped off to the locker room at halftime.

However, the Cordovan native of Calchín completed the 90 minutes, with the frustration of not having been able to reverse the score. He will have his revenge soon. And in two very high-impact endings. Julián was absent in only one game played by City: he started 14 times, came from the substitute bench in 17 games and was left without adding minutes between relays in another 6 games.

* The main alternatives of the duel for the Premier

In the campaign that ended with a coronation, he accumulated 9 goals. In addition to the goals he celebrated in this Premier, the man from the Albiceleste also collaborated with 3 goals in five FA Cup games, another 3 in 10 Champions League games, 1 in two Carabao Cup games and 1 goal in a presentation by Community Shield.

In his brief career, the man born in Calchín already has 11 titles between River Plate (6), the Argentine team (4 counting the 2020 South American pre-Olympic) and City (1). That track record can grow in just two weeks…

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