Agustin Alvarez Martinez could be Sassuolo’s secret weapon

Sassuolo were forward-thinking to sign a 21-year-old striker who scored 1 goal in 6 months after being a prolific goal scorer in 2021. Context will state that Agustin Alvarez Martinez was still an essential piece of Penarol’s team as his movement was still phenomenal, but the striker had lost Agustin Canobbio and Facundo Torres who were two of Uruguay’s better attackers as the trio were crucial in Penarol winning the Uruguayan Primera Division title and making a deep run in the Copa Sudamericana. Such is South American football that the Uruguayan giants have lost all three homegrown players in the space of six months after years of developing them studiously. Despite his goalscoring record in 2022, Alvarez Martinez still has the ability to develop into high-level attacker

Much has been made of Sassuolo strikers this summer as the club are beginning to reap the rewards of being undervalued young attackers for low prices and reaping a profit off them in ensuing years as Gianluca Scamacca is an example of this. They are about to acquire Andrea Pinamonti from Inter Milan as a few intelligent coaching decisions, smart recruitment and player development has made them a consistent Serie A outfit. There could be an intense focus on the movement of Pinamonti and Scamacca but signing Alvarez Martinez for €12 million could reap rewards as the 21-year-old’s style suits Serie A well while he also has an incredible pedigree on the South American continent. Despite not scoring as many goals this season and being played in a deeper role in some games, his work rate never waned while statistically, he was underperforming his expected goals number by quite a wide margin.

Alvarez Martinez is akin to an attacking midfielder playing as a striker as when he receives possession in between the lines, his combination play and hold-up play is magnificent as his vision for precise passing interchanges can change the tempo of an attack while he has an industrious passing range, being able to switch the ball to the opposite flank or play through balls to teammates to create opportunities. The Uruguayan’s double-movements in the box are phenomenal as he can drag a defender to one area before cutting back into a pocket of space with the perfect timing to receive a cross as his combination play and movement in the box, create a phenomenal blend. His ability to drop deep and connect play will especially be pivotal to the tactical nuances of Italian football while his ability to isolate the defenders and make double-movements into space will allow him to get on the end of high-quality opportunities. Alvarez-Martinez is only 5 foot and 9 inches, but this does not stop him from being able to win aerial duels and get on the end of headers from crosses into the box as he will need to improve his finishing with his head as he tends to miss a lot of aerial opportunities which became more integral in his goal drought.

At home to Villa Espanola in June last year, the 21-year-old dropped into space in between the lines to lay-off a pass to the flank before making a run in behind to apply a well-placed finish as the Uruguayan striker was wrongly ruled offside. He had timed his run to perfection but the lack of VAR intervention in Uruguay denied him a goal as even a replay proved the striker to have been onside. Alvarez Martinez then worked a connection with Maximo Alonso on a counter-attack before moving into space to receive possession and side-foot a shot at the goalkeeper which was saved. The young striker did a tremendous job in laying off possession and holding the nine-space as in one sequence, he dropped deep to receive a line-breaking pass before repeating the trick once more to turn and switch a pass to Alonso on the left flank. He eventually notched his goal, getting on the end of an Alonso delivery to direct a header at goal which rolled under the goalkeeper.

He had another two aerial opportunities as he headed one over the bar and the other was sent into the arms of the goalkeeper as for an attacker his size, he acquits himself well aerially, especially in taking down long passes in between the lines and connecting play in the final third. Away to Nacional in the Copa Sudamericana as he could isolated up front for Penarol as they employed a style with quick vertical interchanges. Alvarez Martinez will constantly drop deep to link-up play but in counter-attacking situations, he will drop deep to lay-off for counter-attacks while also making constant runs into the channels to receive possession and lay the ball off to the flank. The 21-year-old headed another opportunity high and wide before notching an assist, receiving a pass from Canobbio on the counter-attack to flick-on for the attacker to score. Dropping deep to receive possession and lob a pass in behind for a teammate is a staple of Alvarez Martinez’ game and one of his main tools for chance creation.

He had another header tipped over from a corner as he also won an aerial duel, outmuscling a defender to take long balls down and lay-off passes to a teammate. He took down a long pass to play the ball to Torres in the channels before getting on the end of a deflection to cut past one man and send a tame shot at the goalkeeper. His ability to receive possession in the channels is exceptional as well, receiving possession from the left flank to take a touch and lay-off to Torres who was unable to get a shot away. He finished the game with 4 shots with 2 on target, 1 chance created and 1 assist while winning 10//15 aerial duels. In the second-leg, the young striker dropped deep to receive possession, turning away from a challenge before switching a pass to the flank. He would miss another header, receiving a cross to head wide as Alvarez Martinez had the time and space he needed to score that opportunity. The 21-year-old had another opportunity, receiving a through ball from Canobbio, working a one-two with Torres to send a shot wide from inside the box.

Alvarez Martinez participated in so many aerial duels that he took a battering as he finished the game with his head wrapped and chin bleeding as he has had injuries to his head early in his career which is a major concern. He finished a sub-par performance with 5 shots and 2 on target while winning 6/21 aerial duels as even in his worst performances, he still manages to generate shooting opportunities for himself which bodes well for his career. At home to Sporting Cristal, he received possession in the nine-space, threading a pass for Canobbio to make a run in behind, having a poor first touch before cutting back for a teammate to have a shot blocked. Even in his most prolific season, Alvarez Martinez still left plenty of goals on the table with the headers that he missed as he would have a header at the near post that he sent wide as the 21-year-old struggles to properly direct headers at goal. He finished the game with 4 shots with 1 on target while only winning 5/11 aerial duels.

At home to CA Fenix, he started the game by sending a header from a cross wide before receiving possession in between to play a cute pass to a teammate to create a crossing situation. He dropped out of the nine-space to lay-off for a teammate before he would work another one connection, this time a one-two with a teammate as when he received possession again, his first touch took him wide as he managed to beat the goalkeeper and square a cross across an empty goal for an opposition defender to clear. At home to Athletico Paranaense, he received a cross to chest the ball down and fire past the goalkeeper. He had a headed opportunity saved before losing an aerial duel as he nearly scored a second when he hooked a shooting opportunity over the bar. The 21-year-old does a phenomenal job at allowing teammates to make runs off of him while he could have also done a better job at moving in the box to getting on the end of deliveries.

In the game, he needed to get into better positions to read some of the lovely deliveries being played to him before he missed a header from a corner at the near post. Alvarez Martinez received a lay-off to have a shot saved from the top of the box as he finished the game with 5 shots, 3 on target and 1 goal as he only won 4/10 aerial duels. Away to Rentistas this year, after the departures in the January transfer window, the 21-year-old had accrued an expected goals number of 2.9 which was the third highest in Uruguay, but he had scored 0 goals at that point of the season. He would receive possession in between the lines to spread a pass Ruben Bentancourt who had a shot blocked. He was leading the pressure phase but was also making runs from deeper areas meaning that he had not had the opportunity to get adequate shots on goal.

He would drop in between the lines to receive possession and lob a pass to the flank as he would look isolated without the ability to combine with Canobbio or the direct passes from Torres in a Penarol side that lacked the attacking impetus of the past. He received a cut-back at the top of the box to send a tame shot at goal before being utilized as an attacking midfielder who would make runs from the nine-space. He was playing in both roles, receiving early passes in the ten space while also holding the nine-space as he took down an aerial ball and played a pass in behind for Ignacio Laquintana to smash a strike off the face of the goalkeeper. Away to Montevideo City Torque, he continued to be isolated up front, only gaining possession by winning turnovers as when the ball was moved to the wide areas, he was the only attacker in the box. He had two opportunities early in the game, heading an opportunity straight at the goalkeeper before receiving possession in between the lines to drag a shot wide as his feet were poorly set.

Alvarez Martinez continued to drop in between the lines to receive possession and lay-off possession, consistently dropping into the ten space while also moving into the channels to connect play. In the box, he would make a double movement towards the near post to receive a cross which was played just an inch over his head. He finally opened his account for 2022 when he received possession in the box to use his first touch to evade one defender before smashing a shot home expertly. His movement was so sharp as in one instance, he held his run, faking like he was going to make a dart to the near post before making a central run as the pass to him was intercepted. Away to Plaza Colonia, had a one-touch lob intercepted before playing a one-touch flick-on to a teammate. He made clever runs but did not receive possession, making runs to the back-post before utilizing double-movements to move into the centre of the box as he did not receive proper deliveries but also struggled to create his own opportunities.

He loves to hover around the box, work connections and make runs into the box to generate his own shooting opportunities as those possibilities were just not available to him without Canobbio and Torres. The 21-year-old made a run in behind and did not receive a through ball before dropping into space, waiting to receive possession from the right flank as he finally received possession to lay the ball off and make a run in behind, but the ball was not played to him. Penarol as a unit had trouble finding him in the nine-space as the energy and zest that he played with a few months before was still there. He received a pass in between the lines, laid off and made a run as his teammates were unable to get the ball to him. He continued to make runs, starting at the back-post before making darts into the centre as the timing of his runs were not in sync with the delivery of the ball.

At home to Cerro Porteno in the Copa Libertadores, he dropped deep, working one-touch passes to teammates as well as laying off long passes. He threaded a through ball to Laquintana as he was continuously dropping dep and looking to hold-up play which meant that he did not get any opportunities in the box. He managed to create his own opportunity, isolating a defender to receive possession, shield the ball before swivelling past his marker to have a shot saved. He received possession, held up the ball and played a lovely through ball to Laquintana for a cross to Alonso who had a shot deflected wide. He also made a brilliant move to receive a cut-back as so much of his game relied on little combinations with Canobbio around the box as he worked a pass to a teammate and made a movement into the box as he could not get on the end of the cross. He spent a lot of his time in the deeper areas, laying off the ball and switching possession from the central positions. Alvarez Martinez had a sequence that perfectly encapsulated his style of play, receiving possession before laying off a pass to the flank and making a run to receive a cross as he had a header saved.

Alvarez Martinez then had a masterclass in movement within the opposition box, making a circular run around his centre-back before drifting into a pocket of space at the back-post to receive a cross as the delivery was not played to him. He finished the game with a 69% pass succession rate in the final third, winning 6/8 aerial duels, 2/3 takeons with 4 shots and 2 on target. At home to Montevideo Wanderers, he received possession in the nine-space to lob a pass for a teammate making a run in behind. He then took down a goal-kick with an immaculate first touch, working a pass to the flank before receiving possession once more as he attempted a through ball which was intercepted. After possession was switched to the right flank, he made a run towards the near post before stopping his feet and making a run behind his centre-back towards his blind-side before cutting back and making a run towards the near post for a through ball that was intercepted. Those little movements drew the defender out of position to create a yard of space for Alvarez Martinez to run into.

Alvarez Martinez had another phenomenal double movement, positioning himself behind his centre-back on his blind-side before dropping deep and making a circular run around his centre-back to receive a cross and have a shot blocked. The 21-year-old received possession in the nine-space, playing a one-touch outside of the boot pass to the left flank before he received possession once more, lobbing a switch ball to the right flank before making a run into the box, occupying a defender so a teammate could make a run off of him to receive a cross and head wide. Away to River Plate Montevideo, he had another phenomenal piece of movement as the ball was played into the channels while one his fellow attackers made a movement to the near post, Alvarez Martinez made a run towards the centre and held his run at the top of the box for a cut-back before recognizing some space and making a run in between two defenders to receive a cross which was lobbed over his head for what would have been a tap-in situation. The 21-year-old then received possession in the right half-space to attempt a through ball for a teammate which rolled into the arms of the goalkeeper.

Alvarez Martinez finished his final few months at Penarol with 1 goal and a 4.13 expected goals number, ranking in the top 25 for shots and the top 10 in shots per game with 2.9. 43% of his shots from open play. In 2021, he finished with 13 goals from a 13.18 expected goals number, 11th in touches in the opposition box, 3rd in shots with 29% of his opportunities being with his head, 30% of his shots being from outside the box and 34% of his shots being from open play. In the Copa Sudamericana, he finished with 10 goals from an 8.23 expected goals number, leading the tournament in shots and touches in the opposition penalty area per WyScout ranking data.

Alvarez Martinez is an attacker that should be suitable for Sassuolo and Serie A football as he is an attacker akin to Fiorentina’s Luka Jovic. His 2022 would have given Sassuolo the opportunity to assess his weaknesses like his heading, ability to create shots for himself and his specific needs in teammates. Sassuolo array have a fine array of wide attackers so the combination play that Alvarez Martinez needs to be successful should be available to him once he gets on the same wavelength as his teammates. His ability to drop out of the nine-space, receive possession and switch the ball to the flank or allow attackers to make runs off of him as the Uruguayan attacker has the vision to thread passes to teammates. His vision for through balls will be utilized more with Sassuolo while when he receives possession in space, he will need to dribble to create a yard of space before firing shots at goal. There is the possibility that his ability to receive possession in between the lines will see him employed as an attacking midfielder or in a front two as Alvarez will be more suitable to the latter than the former. Alvarez Martinez is multi-faceted in the way that he can drop deep to receive possession before making runs in behind to receive through balls while his double movements to receive crosses are spectacular as these attributes will be essential to his adaptation to European football.

Signing Alvarez Martinez for that price with his age and the current market for strikers could prove to be an intelligent calculated risk for Sassuolo. Early 2022 could prove to be an aberration for the young striker as losing the best two attackers in Uruguay proved to be a difficult transition both for him and Penarol. He will operate in a more progressive tactical system with more of the ball at Sassuolo as his refined technique, combination play, and movement is in line with the needs of Serie A. With all the talk about Domenico Berardi and Giacomo Raspadori, Alvarez Martinez could be the attacker to watch for Sassuolo this season. To be a truly great striker to fulfil his potential, it is essential that the 21-year-old begins to score more of his headed opportunities as in a goal drought and in a goalscoring run, his erratic finishing from aerial situations has been constant. Alvarez Martinez will also be looking to earn a place in Uruguay’s World Cup squad later this year as their striking options seem to have been replenished impressively as the 21-year-old will have a lot of competition within his age-group.