Player Focus: Walter Mazzarri Bringing The Best Out Of Ricky Álvarez With Inter

While much was made of AC Milan’s capture of Kaka, with the Brazilian returning to Serie A after a 4-year stint in Spain, his capture has seen Ricky Álvarez’s impressive start to the season go somewhat overlooked. With Inter Milan having picked up 2 wins from 2, netting 5 goals in the process, the attacker has been key to Walter Mazzarri's start to life in Milan and his impact has left fans of the club understandably excited for the upcoming campaign.

The sizeable Argentine was highly revered at the turn of the decade and despite interest from Arsenal the Nerazzurri secured his signature in 2011. However, a lack of confidence and having been continuously played out of position by Claudio Ranieri and Andrea Stramaccioni saw the 25-year-old’s initial impact minimalised as both coaches failed to accommodate ‘Tricky Ricky’ into their respective systems.

Often utilised as an impact player, his ability to come off the bench and change things was clear in that he was WhoScored.com’s highest rated substitute (6.74) of every player to have made 10 or more appearances from the bench in Europe’s top 5 leagues last season. Regardless of having played just 1175 minutes of first team action last term, the player still averaged 1.9 successful dribbles and 1.1 key passes per game, denoting his exceptional creative talents despite his lack of action.

All that was needed was a head coach that would show the necessary belief in him, and Mazzarri has evidently done just that. With an average rating of 8.73 after the opening 2 Serie A fixtures, only Napoli’s Marek Hamsik (8.77) has averaged higher, and clearly Álvarez is repaying the faith shown in him by the Italian.

His 94% pass accuracy after two games, while averaging 42 passes per game, is an impressive return for a player in his position, although it's one that is expected of him. However, when compared to Hamsik – a player operating in a similar role – and his pass accuracy of just 83.5% thus far, Álvarez's ability to find a teammate is accentuated significantly.

Averaging 4.5 successful dribbles and 3.5 key passes per game - a significant improvement on his 2012/13 season figures - shows just how pivotal a player he already is in Mazzarri’s revamped Inter Milan. Not only are both averages the highest with Inter to date, but his stats measure up adequately when compared to the rest of the league. Only Juan Zuñiga (11) has completed more successful dribbles than Álvarez (9), and with a 64.3% dribble success rate it's evident that the primary asset to his game continues to be his ability to drift past the opposition.

Playing just behind Rodrigo Palacio, the movement of the South American’s evidently caused both Genoa and Catania problems in the respective 2-0 and 3-0 wins this term, with Álvarez charged with attacking the opposition in the space that the striker leaves, while also dropping deeper to receive possession in the high pressing game that Mazzarri has adopted. This comes as little surprise in a team that are widely judged to now be the fittest in Serie A following his appointment, continuing the philosophy that won him a number of admirers during his time with Napoli.

Pressing all across the field of play, suffocating the opposition and forcing them into making mistakes, the low centre of gravity and ability to effortlessly drift through the opposition backline is what has seen Álvarez endear himself to the Inter fans at long last. This comes in an attack that supporters will be hoping will lead Inter back to European competition after missing out on a place in either the Champions League or Europa League for the first time in 15 seasons.

Undoubtedly, Álvarez will be the man that will be crucial to this. While much was made of the signings of Ishak Belfodil, Mauro Icardi and Saphir Taider, the former Vélez Sársfield trainee is the player that will provide the creative spark to unlock opposition defences in the blink of an eye, no matter how stubborn they may be.

His 7 key passes executed may fall behind that of Francesco Totti’s 14 - a league high - but with 3 of those coming from set pieces his creative capability from such situations matches his ability to hurt the opposition in open play, with only Antonio Cassano (5) and Francesco Lodi (4) setting up more chances from deadballs. This further highlights just how important a role the attacker will play with Inter this upcoming campaign.

With the international break now upon us, fans of Inter will be hopeful Álvarez doesn’t report back to the squad with any sort of injury in Argentina’s upcoming World Cup qualification encounter with Paraguay as he aims to continue his fine start to the season. As Juventus look to defend their domestic crown once again, the onus will be on those below the Bianconeri - Fiorentina, Napoli, AC Milan, Roma and Inter - to pose a genuine threat to the Scudetto holders.

While the latter succumbed to a disappointing 9th placed finish in Serie A last term, with Álvarez in such scintillating form there is no reason why the Argentine can’t play a crucial role in ensuring that Inter are challenging for a top 3 finish and a return to Europe's elite competition come May.