"It was difficult": Guardiola's self-criticism about his huge debt and the departure of Julián Álvarez

Manchester City are in a difficult situation in the Premier League , where Liverpool managed to win at the Etihad for the first time in the Pep Guardiola era. With the 2-0 defeat to the Reds, the skyblues complicated their chances of securing a place in the next Champions League , while their coach reflects on one of the greatest difficulties of his career, in which the Argentine Julián Álvarez played a key role.

In an interview with Sky Sports , Guardiola spoke openly about one of the biggest challenges he has faced as a coach: managing the egos and expectations of players who could be starters at any team in the world, but who under his guidance have been substitutes. Cases such as Cole Palmer , Thiago Alcántara at Barcelona and Julián Álvarez himself at City exemplify this problem.

"Since I started as a coach, I have always had the challenge of not losing my players. Many times it is not a question of quality, but of opportunities. I was a footballer myself and I know how frustrating it is not to play, but sometimes coaches have to make difficult decisions," explained the Catalan.

Despite his success with the English team, Alvarez's departure left a mark. While the Argentine has already scored 19 goals in 38 games with Atletico Madrid , City struggle in an increasingly competitive Premier League, where even the eighth-placed team threatens to knock them out of next season's Champions League .

The transfer of the Argentine striker was an unavoidable topic in the conversation with Guardiola. After two seasons in England, the need to add more minutes and a less hostile climate to the United Kingdom led him to opt for Atlético Madrid , in a transfer of 75 million euros .

"We couldn't keep him. Julián wanted to play more and he knew that at Atlético he would have the continuity that we couldn't always guarantee him here. I don't feel responsible for his departure, because the club did a great job in bringing him in and he decided to take the next step in his career," said Guardiola.

The coach, however, made it clear that City are closely following the progress of La Araña , who has become a key piece in Diego Simeone 's scheme and continues to attract the attention of the European giants.

The impact of Julián Álvarez on Spanish football has not gone unnoticed and there are already clubs that are considering the possibility of signing him. One of the most interested is Barcelona , ​​who consider him as the ideal replacement for Robert Lewandowski , who could leave in the next transfer market.

Although Madrid have no intention of letting go of the Argentine, the Blaugrana's interest is real and an offer could be made in the next transfer window. For now, the striker remains focused on his great present with the Colchonero , but his future in European football promises new chapters.