Club : Manchester City Nationality : Argentinian Primary Position: Centre-forward Secondary Positions: Left-winger/Right-winger Date of Birth: 31/01/2000 (23 y.o.) Height : 5’7” (1.70m) Foot: Right The signing of Julián Álvarez by Manchester City in January 2022 went largely unnoticed by the football community, especially after City’s acquisition of Erling Haaland the following summer. However, after reaching 10 combined goals and assists in the league in his debut season, as well as lifting the World Cup with Argentina in Qatar, more and more fans are beginning to recognise his talent. Career so far Prior to joining River Plate at the age of 16, Julián Álvarez had trials at rivals Boca Juniors, as well as Real Madrid. ‘El aranita’ managed to score 2 goals in 5 games at a youth tournament for Los Blanco. However, due to age restrictions, he was unable to make the move over to Europe. 2 years after joining River Plate, Álvarez made his debut on the 27th October 2018, and scored his first goal 5 months later in a 3-0 league win for La Banda. This goal would kickstart Álvarez’s meteoric rise in South America. In December of the same year, he would score in the 2019 Copa Argentina Final in his team’s 3-0 win against Central Córdoba to win the 3rd trophy of his career. The following year, he bagged himself 5 goals in 6 Copa Libertadores group stage games, truly starting to catch the eyes of some of the biggest names in Europe. On his 22nd birthday, it was announced that the Argentine would be joining Manchester City in the Summer of 2022 for €21 million, spending the rest of the season with River Plate on loan. To draw the curtains on his story in his native Argentina, the forward wrote himself in the history books. Álvarez scored 6 goals for River Plate in their final Copa Libertadores group match against Alianza Lima, tying Juan Carlos Sánchez’s record for goals in a Libertadores game, which was set in 1985. Since moving to Man City, the forward has impressed in the limited gametime available, picking up Premier League, FA Cup, and Champions League winners’ medals along the way, in addition to being one of Argentina’s most vital players in their 2022 World Cup triumph. This season saw the explosion of Julián Álvarez to the world, but many Argentinians would have known this was coming. Style of Play "He’s a special guy, with his work ethic. He reminds me a bit of Gabriel [Jesus], how aggressive he is without the ball.” This quote by Pep Guardiola sums up the Argentine beautifully. Fully committed to his job, doing his utmost both in and out of possession for the benefit of the team. Álvarez is a versatile forward, able to play on both wings as well as his more natural centre-forward role. He is eye-catchingly comfortable on the ball, hard-working in defensive situations, and capable of providing the necessary end-product. He’s an elite striker in terms of build-up, and possesses a skillset perfectly suited to a possession-dominant system. Strengths & Weaknesses Build-up On the ball, Julián Álvarez is extremely similar to his predecessor­—and across the board, for that fact. When compared to other forwards in Europe’s top 5 leagues, Álvarez ranks in the 80th percentile or above for: · Passes completed* · Passes attempted · Pass completion* · Total passing distance · Short passes completed* · Short passes attempted · Short pass completion* · Medium passes completed · Medium pass completion · Long passes attempted* · Long passes completed* · Passes into the final 3rd · Crosses into the penalty area* · Crosses · Through balls.* *10 of these rank in the 90th percentile and above.* In comparison to Gabriel Jesus, Álvarez is a much better crosser of the ball and puts up very similar numbers for all the other stats. The metric which really sets the Brazilian and Argentine apart is key passes. The now Arsenal man produces 1.49 key passes per 90 whilst Álvarez completes 1.21. These may sound similar, however 1.49 key passes put Jesus in the 88th percentile for forwards in the top 5 leagues, whereas 1.21 only manages to get into the 68th percentile. Despite the gap, this is something which will only improve with time as Álvarez’ decision making improves, allowing him to find better options when making that final ball. He has also shown that he is capable of making these decisive passes, as he racked up 3.63 key passes per 90 in the 202 Copa Libertadores. Having someone with Álvarez’s skill set provides Man City with two extremely different forwards. Erling Haaland gives Man City that lethal final end product which City fans had yearned for for years but has brought with him compromises in the way that City can play. Haaland is very rarely in contact with the ball and only ranks in the 60th percentile or above for 3 of the previous 16 metrics mentioned, but none of the 3 are high enough to break into the top 11% of forwards in Europe’s top 5 leagues for those same stats. By having two contrasting players, Pep Guardiola is able to adapt his team to different opposition and different needs as games progress. Dribbling Julián Álvarez is also comfortable with the ball at his feet, dribbling. He produces solid numbers in terms of carrying the ball up the field and into dangerous areas; while he rarely gets the chance to go 1v1 against a defender, when he does, he is more often than not successful. He completes and attempts less than half the take-ons than the likes of Gabriel Jesus. However, his success rate stands at a rather impressive 54.1% whilst Jesus’ stands at 46.2%. To put that into further context, Japanese 1v1 master, Kaoru Mitoma is only successful in 46.7% of his take-ons. Hopefully, in the near future, Álvarez gets the chance to play more regularly and we get to see whether he can apply these numbers on a larger scale. Defence Similar to his build-up play, Álvarez puts up elite numbers for his defensive contributions for players in the same position in Europe’s big 5 leagues. He ranks in the: · Top 1% for tackles in the final 3rd · Top 3% of forward for tackles, tackles won, and dribbles challenged · Top 5% for tackles in the middle 3rd · Top 7% for tackles & interceptions · Top 10% for dribblers tackled · Top 15% for passes blocked. These numbers are very similar to those of Jesus and play into the idea that they are very like-for-like players. Álvarez’s pressing technique is a big part of his defensive contribution, he knows when and how to press too.

Club : Chelsea Nationality : England Primary Position: Right-winger Secondary Positions: Centre-forward, Attacking-mid, Left-winger Date of Birth: 29/09/2001 (21 y.o.) Height : 5’9” (1.75m) Foot: Right Ever since making her senior debut for Arsenal in October 2017, the hype surrounding Lauren James has grown exponentially. Being labelled England’s “cheat code” by Euros-winning captain Leah Williamson only a few months into your international career can cause a lot of players to crumble under the pressure—but not James. Let’s have a look at why pundits are beginning to call her “the best player in the world in waiting”. Career so far Aged 13, Lauren James was scouted by Arsenal and started training with their boys’ academy. In just two years, she would be stepping foot onto the first team training pitch. James made her Arsenal debut on the 29th of October 2017, coming on in the 67th minute in a 2-0 win over Everton, becoming the club’s second-youngest debutant. In July 2018, Lauren James was announced to be joining Manchester United’s first professional women’s team. The winger scored the opening 2 goals in United’s first game in the Championship and was voted as the FA Women’s Championship player of the month for September after scoring 3 goals in the Reds’ unbeaten month. She then went on to score her team’s first ever WSL goal the following season in a 2-0 win over Liverpool. At the end of the 2019/20, James grabbed United’s top scorer award and was shortlisted for the PFA Women’s Young Player of the Year. 3 years after signing, the then-Man United winger expressed her desire to move closer to her family in London as rumours of a move to Chelsea circled. In the end, the WSL champions got their player, signing Lauren James to a 4-year deal for a fee potentially rising to £200,000, the 5th highest transfer fee ever at the time. In her second season in blue, her performances won her the Young Player Of The Year Award at the Women’s Football Awards, paying off Emma Hayes’ trust in her ability and potential. Style of play Lauren James is a versatile and technically excellent player, capable of causing havoc and scoring goals with both her right and left foot. Over the years, she has featured on the right wing, left wing, as a 10, and also as a centre-forward. James has described herself as an ‘instinctive player’, thriving in games where there is less to think about. As a result, it is easy to imagine what she is good at and how she likes to play. When she plays out wide, she looks to drift in whenever the opportunity arises, placing her more centrally and closer to goal. More often than not, the central zones are crowded, but this is where James comes into her own. She is very strong and agile, and so is able to wiggle her way through tight defences with ease before getting a shot away with either foot. The Chelsea winger is a serious threat all over the pitch but it is in these areas where she has the biggest impact. Strengths & Weaknesses Passing When it comes to passing, Lauren James is a competent passer. Nevertheless, there are many things which are missing from her game. In terms of passes and pass completion, she ranks highly. For the 2022/23 season, the forward stood in the 95th, 82nd, and 89th percentile when compared to other WSL attacking midfielders and wingers for short, medium, and long pass completion rate, and also in the 89th percentile for pass percentage overall. This shows that she is capable of playing lots of passes and completing them with no issue. However, there is very little depth to these stats. James does not rank above the 60th percentile for any of the following stats: Assists Expected assists Key passes Passes into the box Crosses into the box Crosses Through balls Some of that could be down to the role that she plays in at Chelsea. As the right-sided forward in a 3-4-3 formation, she more often than not finds herself inside as opposed to out wide. As a result, her cross numbers may be lower because she is not in a position to swing balls into the box. Equally, her passes into the penalty area and her through balls may be lower than expected due to the crowded nature of the central zones. In addition, she plays for the most dominant team in the WSL, so it is no surprise that many teams opt to deploy a deep block against them. Despite being able to excuse some key metrics, key passes and expected assists are two that you would expect to be higher due to her proximity to goal and other forwards. There does, however, remain some positives in the effectiveness of her passing. James stands in the 82nd percentile for passes into the final 3rd, and also in the 95th percentile for switches. This is something which the 3-4-3 formation allows her to do. Drifting inside, Lauren James’ threat leads teams to overcrowd the central areas more than usual, allowing the England international to look for the natural width in the wing-backs to spread play and open up the game. Defending James’ defensive ability is, at best, average. She ranks in the 24th percentile for tackles and interceptions combined, only managing 1.73, and only tackles 18.2% of the dribblers she comes up against, putting her in the bottom 2% of attacking mids and wingers in the WSL. On the other hand she is good enough to place in the 63rd percentile for shots blocked and 56th for passes blocked, totalling her blocks at 1.2 per 90 minutes. Oddly enough, the greatest weakness in Lauren James’ defensive ability is a huge positive in other aspects of her game. Due to her strength and aggressiveness, James finds herself committing 1.43 fouls per 90, meaning that she is in the top 15% for fouls committed. These fouls are easily avoidable more often than not, but they are not bad tackles; instead, the Chelsea player simply over asserts herself into duels. The fact that the winger didn’t get sent off once in the 22/23 WSL campaign and only picked up 1 yellow card, shows the simplicity of her fouls. Dribbling As mentioned previously, Lauren James’ biggest asset is her dribbling. She can weave in and out of opposition players with ease, using her strength to hand them off, and her ability with both feet make her extremely unpredictable. The 21-year old ranks third in the league for take-ons attempted out of any position with 4.59, first for take-ons completed with 3.09, and has the highest take-on completion percentage out of players with over 50 take-ons attempted. She completes a huge 67.2% of her take-ons, and is only tackled in 29.5% of them. What is more, she tops the table for attacking mids and wingers for total carrying distance, totalling 256.83 yards. James also ranks in the 95th, 92nd and 89th percentile for progressive carrying distance, carrying into the final 3rd and into the box. In comparison to her passing, which can, at times, be conservative, with the ball at her feet dribbling Lauren James reaches new heights. This elite-level ability transcends all over the pitch too. Although she loves to drift inside from the wing, Lauren James’ ability is just as good in 1v1 scenarios as it is in congested parts of the pitch. When faced with a defender, James prefers to bide her time with the ball, waiting as long as possible for the defender to make an attempt to win the ball back, before reacting quickly to push it round her opponent. She repeatedly finds herself in areas which pose a big threat to the opposition, either between the ends of the 6-yard box and the 18-yard box in which she can pick out a teammate, or if she has cut inside, on the edge of the box with a perfect opportunity to have an effort on goal.