Felipe Alvarado – Santiago Wanderers’ ball-playing left-back

Felipe Alvarado came through the Santiago Wanderers academy as an enterprising winger, signing his first professional contract in 2018 as he has the potential to become an outstanding young left-back. The 22-year-old has played in a variety of positions this season, as a left wing-back, left-back, left winger as well as deputizing in midfield towards the end of the season. However, there is little doubt that his future belongs at left-back with the youngster’s potential to grow into a high-level modern-day fullback, possessing the multi-faceted skillset needed in the tactically progressive nature of modern-day football.

Alvarado possesses the ability to operate on the overlap with his pace, dribbling and crossing while he also has the skill-set to move inside to receive possession as an inverted fullback. When he receives possession, Alvarado prefers to drive the ball into the centre of the pitch, especially when he receives possession while facing his own goal, he will turn inside towards the centre and look to work passes connections in the centre of the pitch. Alvarado’s ball-carrying allows him to both drive the ball inside or skip past a marker to drive the ball outside his winger making him a press resistant fullback who can work quick passing connections in tight spaces as well as weaving out of pressure with his close control. Alvarado has tools to become a high-level modern-day fullback, but it is just a matter of better incorporating all these facets of his game with better decision-making.

At home to Universidad de Chile, he would work a one-two with a teammate from a throw-in to make a run on the outside and lob a cross to the near post that his teammate was unable to finish. The 22-year-old then rolled an accurate pass from the left touchline to a teammate making a run into the centre to dummy the pass as his distribution from the left flank is penetrative. Defensively, the left-back would show excellent poise to regain possession as his left-sided centre-back would step out of position to make a tackle while an opposition attacker would make a run into the half-space to receive possession as Alvarado tucked inside to latch onto his poor first-touch to regain possession and shield the ball with his body. In a counter-attacking situation, Alvarado took on a lobbed pass from Martin Villaroel to square a low cross to the near post as the striker was unable to divert the delivery past the opposition goalkeeper.

The 22-year-old would have another crossing opportunity when he received a switch ball on the overlap in a much deeper area than his first two deliveries to curl a cross into the box which was lofted and curled onto the head of a teammate for an opposition defender to deflect the ball out. Away to Huachipato, Alvarado was deployed as a left-back as he was press resistant in receiving possession, driving the ball into the centre but could try to be too audacious with his passing, having deep passing attempts intercepted or trying to weave past too many opposition players before looking to release the ball. It was also an opportunity for Alvarado to defend from a left-back position as Huachipato switched possession to the 22-year-old’s flank as the winger was covering him and pushed towards the flank to engage his marker before Alvarado made a well-timed tackle on a pass into the channels.

In the build-up phase, he dropped to receive possession with an opposition attacker pushing up to mark him as Alvarado received possession by allowing the ball to roll across his body towards the touchline to take a touch to shield the ball and swivel past his marker to turn out of pressure and work a vertical pass inside. The 22-year-old is so comfortable in holding and distributing possession under pressure as he received a back-pass with a marker closing him down by the touchline to lift his head and play a perfect vertical pass past four opposition players to a teammate in space in the centre to instigate an attacking move. Alvarado would use his distribution to evade pressure when he worked a one-two with a teammate to evade his marker before playing a pass down the line to his winger.

The 22-year-old then showed his ability as a ball-carrier, moving into the half-space to receive possession to skip past a man when he drove inside to shield the ball before looking to work a one-two on the flank as his teammate was fouled. Towards the end of last season, Alvarado would find more central positions as he was encouraged to tuck inside more while he was even deployed as a central midfielder. Against, Deportivo Antofagasta, he would tuck inside, occupying the 10 space in between the lines to receive possession and play a one-touch pass to a teammate before continuing his run in a sequence that led to a shot on goal. His ball-carrying helped him evade pressure when he received possession in the left-back position with two opposition attackers marking him for the 22-year-old to drive the ball in between them and work a pass into the six-space which allowed his team to transition. He then won an interception to surge forward and work a delicate pass to a runner in the half-space who had a shot on goal.

At home to Audax Italiano, Alvarado filled a variety of positions, being deployed as a winger tasked with making runs into the channels while in the defensive phase, he would tuck inside as a central midfielder. He was tasked with using his ball-carrying in the centre to drive possession forward, winning possession in the central areas to connect play with the left flank before making late overlapping runs. Alvarado struggled as although his distribution is high-level for a fullback, it is not adequate for a central midfielder but his energy in pressing and looking to regain possession was integral. In the first-half, he finished with a 71% pass succession rate as he normally played safe passes to the left flank while having 7 ball recoveries, 1 block with 4 crosses as he managed to get 1 on target.

In the second-half, he managed to move back to his natural left-back position and showed why he has immense potential in the position. Before he received possession, he would scan both sides before deciding to turn inside and thread a pass in between the lines while he consistently played passing sequences with Matias Marin while winning duels defensively. Alvarado consistently received possession and looked to drive the ball inside as in possession, he would prefer to tuck inside with Marin in the wide zone. He also possesses immense recovery speed to regain possession which is rarer for the more balletic, possession-focused fullbacks of today as he is rarity, being able to fulfil the role of the conventional overlapping fullback and the auxiliary-midfielder-type fullback. However, when he received possession in between the lines in more congested areas, his first touch could at times be too heavy as he lost possession a few times.

In the left-back position, he is more accustomed in utilizing his directional first touch to shield the ball to buy himself time to find a passing option as he also enjoys turning into the centre to play the ball into the midfield line. He would turn and thread a pass to the midfielder in the six-space who lost possession before driving the ball forward and threading a pass in between the lines to a teammate. Alvarado would win an aerial duel before lobbing an accurate pass down the line before receiving possession to turn inside and nonchalantly find a teammate in the ten space with a line-breaking pass as he would tuck into the central spaces in the opposition half to work connections with Marin.

Away to Chilean Champions, Universidad Catolica Alvarado would be deployed as a left-wing back again as he was applying pressure in the opposition half to make a block to prevent his marker from progressing play. The 22-year-old would then latch onto a loose ball in the centre of the pitch, skipping past one marker to drive the ball past a second defender as he had a shot blocked from the top of the opposition box. The Chilean showed his ball-carrying ability again when he received possession by the left touchline as he drove inside to evade his marker on the flank before playing a line-breaking pass to the attacking line with his weaker right foot.

Alvarado won possession in an aerial duel to drive the ball forward and attempt to thread a pass into the half-space for a runner which was intercepted. He nearly had a moment of genius as he was chasing a cross on the left flank in the opposition defender behind him, Alvarado shielded the ball with his body before nutmegging his opponent to drive into the box and have a crossing opportunity blocked. The 22-year-old would cover ground expertly to regain possession with a well-timed sliding challenge. Alvarado moved into the centre of the pitch to receive possession before driving the ball past an attacker to surge forward as skipped past a second opposition player before threading a pass to a teammate in the ten space to show his press resistance and instigate an attacking move. He exhibited his technical ability when he received possession on the left flank to thread a pass past four opposition players and into a teammate in the ten space. In the attacking phase, he received possession on the left flank to work a one-two with Marin before squaring a low cross across the face of goal.

Alvarado has all the tools to develop into a well-rounded left-back, but he needs more refinement and tactical development to reach his potential. He is capable of playing crosses from deeper areas of the flank, making shorter and timed overlapping bursts to play low crosses into the box while also squaring deliveries from the half-space as he is a strong crosser of the ball but will need to play in a system where his crossing ability can be more effectively utilized. He plays deep curling crosses into congested boxes too often while he can cross from the by-line or half-space more with teammates making timed runs into space as it is also important to note that he has the dribbling ability to beat players and create better crossing opportunities for himself. He can also work one-twos and move into the half-space to receive possession and carry the ball effectively as he can be penetrative with possession by using his distribution and ball-carrying.

In terms of his defensive aptitude, he is normally deployed as a wing-back while his centre-back will cover for him with the right wing-back tucking inside to create a back-four. Alvarado has recovery speed to track some of the quicker wingers while he has the mobility to cover space, especially in situations where he is tucked inside, and the ball is switched to an opposition wide attacker outside him as the 22-year-old has the athleticism to engage the attacker to make a block or tackle. As he will normally have his centre-back covering for him, Alvarado will normally track markers inside when his wide attackers cut inside while once his centre-back pushes out of position to track a marker, Alvarado will drop into the space. The 22-year-old has the mobility, physicality, energy and pace to track a marker to the flank before making a block or a tackle to prevent crosses while he can also close down an opposition winger if they cut inside past him.

Alvarado will need to make a move in this window as Santiago Wanderers have recently been relegated, make him a high-potential and low-cost option. The 22-year-old would thrive under Arne Slot at Feyenoord as he is he could be back-up and replacement to Tyrell Malacia. Slot would be the perfect manager to develop and utilize his talents as the young Dutch manager prefers a press resistant left-back who can operate on the overlap as well as tucking into midfield. He would also be the perfect replacement for Nicolas Tagliafico at Ajax who is expected to leave Ajax soon as Alvarado would be a more mobile option than Youri Baas, more technically proficient than Terrence Douglas while being a natural left-footer unlike Devyne Rensch. He would suit Ten Hag’s system while Alvarado would also be a good replacement for Sergio Gomez who is expected to leave Anderlecht in the future. Belgium, Holland and Portugal should be the main options for Alvarado as they give him the opportunity to develop his potential and become a left-back for the Chilean National Team while also developing his tactical awareness of the left-back position. A move to the MLS in a team like Nashville should also be an option while he could be a cheaper option for a team that utilizes a back-five like Mainz. With the right move, Alvarado career could be on a rapid upward trajectory.