Alvarez with 2 goals and 1 assist earns perfect rating; Atletico Madrid 5-2 Tottenham; Manchester City this season against Tottenham: 1 draw, 1 loss.

I've always believed Guardiola has a bit of superstition regarding Haaland; selling Alvarez resulted in Manchester City lacking creativity, ball-driving forward movement, and long-distance shooting capability when confronting compact defenses. Initially, with De Bruyne gone and Haaland not performing well against top teams, Alvarez would have been City's attacking asset. This season, City managed only one draw and one loss against Tottenham in home and away fixtures, failing to secure a victory, whereas Alvarez alone generated 3 goals against Tottenham in the Champions League.

At 01:45 Beijing time on March 11, the first leg of the Champions League quarter-finals, Atletico Madrid hosted Tottenham.

In the first half, Tottenham's second-choice goalkeeper Kinski made two consecutive costly errors before being replaced by first-choice keeper Vicario; Alvarez assisted Llorente's push-shot to break the deadlock, followed by Griezmann, Alvarez, and Lino scoring to extend the lead, Porro pulled one back; halftime saw Atletico leading 4-1. In the second half, Griezmann assisted Alvarez to score and seal the victory, Porro assisted Solanke to find the net.

Ultimately, Atletico Madrid secured a 5-2 home victory over Tottenham, who face Premier League relegation pressure, essentially placing Atletico halfway into the Champions League quarter-finals. The second leg will take place at White Hart Lane at 4:00 Beijing time on March 19.

Atletico Madrid vs Tottenham,Simone deployed a 442 formation: Griezmann and Alvarez as the dual strikers, Simeone, Llorente, Cardoso, Lukman as the four midfielders, Pobil, Lino, Hanzko, Ruggeri as the four defenders, Oblak as goalkeeper; starting lineup valued at 337 million euros.Tudor employed a 343 formation: Ter, Richarlison, Mouani as the front three, Spence, Sarr, Gray, Porro as the four midfielders, Van de Ven, Romero, Danso as the three defenders, Kinski as goalkeeper; starting lineup valued at 360 million euros.

What can be said about this match? Tottenham's second-choice goalkeeper Kinski was simply a nightmare; what was Tuchel thinking by rotating goalkeepers? Giving up on the Champions League? Kinski's two gift-giving errors in the first half led to two conceded goals, making the game nearly unplayable. Alvarez, facing Tottenham—one of the Premier League's Big Six—scored two goals and provided one assist, single-handedly creating three goals; Manchester City's encounters with Tottenham were like chewing wax, while "Little Spider" Alvarez delightfully dismantled Tottenham. Griezmann, aging yet more cunning, contributed with both a goal and an assist. For Tottenham, Porro also had a goal and an assist, but the goalkeeper's performance was too dismal. Atletico's 5-2 triumph over Tottenham firmly seized the advancement advantage.

Post-match, Alvarez received the highest rating—a perfect 10 points. Wonder what Guardiola thinks seeing Alvarez's form against Tottenham?

Throughout the match,Atletico had 58% possession; both teams had 11 shots, with Atletico achieving 7 on target and Tottenham 5 on target.Tottenham's loss stemmed mainly from two points: the goalkeeper's two gift goals and inferior efficiency compared to Atletico.