Man City striker Julian Alvarez admits he is ‘surprised’ at how much Pep Guardiola rotates starting XI

JULIAN ALVAREZ admitted he has been left “surprised” by how often Pep Guardiola chops and changes his starting line up.

The Manchester City striker, 23, has impressed since £14million arrival from River Plate last summer.

Julian Alvarez admitted he is “surprised” by Pep Guardiola’s rotation policyReuters

GettyGuardiola regularly chops and changes his personnel[/caption]

That’s despite goal machine Erling Haaland arriving at a similar time, and Alvarez left battling the Norwegian for a starting berth.

Guardiola’s tinkering means he is not a regular starter, although Alvarez and Haaland have started 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.”

Alvarez has featured 26 times in all competitions this season, scoring an impressive nine goals.

But just 11 of those have been from the start.

However, the Argentinian World Cup winner is fully focused on the remainder of the season and trying to feature as much as possible.

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

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

“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.”

Alvarez enjoyed a stunning World Cup campaign, scoring four goals in seven games to help Argentina lift the trophy.

He started five of those games in Qatar, including the penalty shootout win over France in the final.