Why Julian Alvarez has started every Man City Premier League game: Haaland, De Bruyne injuries and Guardiola's midfield puzzle

Erling Haaland and Kevin De Bruyne were the star performers of Manchester City's treble-winning campaign in 2022/23, but they have missed seven months between them due to injury this time around.

De Bruyne required hamstring surgery after pulling up during City's Premier League opener at Burnley, while Haaland was laid low for the majority of December and January with a bone-stress injury in his foot.

Other key performers in Pep Guardiola's squad, such as Jack Grealish and John Stones, have also been in and out of the starting XI due to form and fitness issues, while midfield lynchpin Rodri has sat out three Premier League games through suspension. It is more than a coincidence that those represent their three top-flight defeats this term.

Indeed, there is only one player in the squad who has started every Premier League game. If you haven't been paying close attention, you might struggle to name him.

Saturday's scrappy 1-1 draw against Chelsea was the 24th time out of 24 games when Julian Alvarez lined up at kickoff for City. This is no mean feat under a coach as infamously hard to please as Guardiola and in such a talent-stacked squad.

However, this achievement has not been met with widespread acclaim. On the contrary, Alvarez's continued presence is being viewed by a significant number of fans as a hindrance in a gripping three-way title battle with Liverpool and Arsenal.

 Highlights and analysis of Man City's battling 1-1 draw with Chelsea

Here, The Sporting News explores why Guardiola has persisted in playing Alvarez even when some fans would argue his performances haven't been up to scratch.

Alvarez finalised his transfer from River Plate to Manchester in January 2022, moving to Manchester in June of that year. By that