What Julian Alvarez said about his Manchester City manager, Pep Guardiola changing his formation every game

JULIAN ALVAREZ stated that he has been "surprised" by how frequently Pep Guardiola changes his starting lineup.

The 23-year-old Manchester City striker has excelled since his £14 million summer signing from River Plate.

Erling Haaland, a prolific scorer, arrived at the same time as Alvarez, but the Mexican left the fight for a starting spot with the Norwegian.

Guardiola is not a frequent starter because of his tinkering, despite Alvarez and Haaland having started games together on occasion.

Speaking to GQ magazine at Adidas' launch of the Speedportal boots, Alvarez explained: "Before I came here, I knew the way Pep works, but even I was surprised at how much rotation there is.

"Pep almost never picks the same 11 in consecutive games – you make sure you're always alert and at 100 per cent so that when your time comes, you know you're ready to perform, and you're at the disposal of the manager."

This season, Alvarez has made 26 appearances in all competitions, scoring an impressive nine goals.

The World Cup champion from Argentina is entirely concentrated on the remaining games of the campaign, though, and is making every effort to appear frequently.

He added: "After the World Cup, I had a few days to celebrate and spend time with my family and friends.

"As soon as it was time to come back to the club, I changed my focus.

Alvarez had an outstanding World Cup season, scoring four goals in seven games to claim the cup for Argentina.

In Qatar, he started five of those contests, including the championship game's penalty shootout victory over France.

The Manchester City forward concluded: "In terms of what I want to achieve this season, I want to be at 100 per cent and play as many games as possible, helping in any way I can.

"Collectively, we want to win every competition that we're in."