
Manchester City will need Julian Alvarez for their daunting January fixture list, with Pep Guardiola open to the possibility of playing him in a front two alongside Erling Haaland.
Alvarez returned from the World Cup ahead of schedule to be included in City’s squad against Everton, and the World Cup winner was brought off the bench for around 15 minutes as the Blues searched for a winner, where he played alongside Erling Haaland in a front two.
Guardiola was asked after the game whether Alvarez’s return as a World Champion could lead to more opportunities to play a deliberate front two, and the City boss didn’t rule out the possibility.
“In the last minutes, after 1-1, we put him in the Centre of goal in the box.
“It can happen [Haaland and Alvarez playing together].
The ball arrives there [in the box] and you have two strikers there so you can score a goal.
City’s draw with Everton was compounded by Arsenal’s win at Brighton which extended their lead to seven points at the top of the Premier League.
Alvarez’s return will help navigate that schedule, and Guardiola insisted City will go to those games unfazed, despite their Everton setback.