Sorry this is going to be long...
I'll put it straight, because quite frankly I've been reading a bit of nonsense in the sense that I've read too many over the top reactions in favor or against Julian that do not seem to understand what type of player he is (now and was till now) and the enviroment he is developing.
1. He is not an Aguero or a Tevez, he isn't the typical born CRACK, bordering phenom type of player regarding their technicall ability and also very important with a differential power and pace. In fact many here still do not realize the level of the just mentioned.
2. That doesn't mean that Julian cannot become a CRACK (worldwide), but if he does, he would be more in the mold of a Müller, Villa, Raul...the type of player that fills many roles, that doesn't have real flaws in their games, that score a lot, that aren't born CRACKs or are phenoms and that do not have a 10 aspect in their repertoir, but that are intelligent, versatile, generous and develope a CRACK level during their carreers, while achieving the same level of succeess than the ones mentioend in the first paragraph or even have a better carreer.
He is on that path, if he doesn't achieve such level (and I do not mean titles, he already is blessed in such regard) he will end a very good to great Elite level player every coach loves to have and that ain't a bad thing either.
3. Now regarding his situation in the team:
A. One aspect is sthg. that happens to any player under Pep that isn't one of his few sellected boys: Messi, Rodri, Xavi, etc...you get the point.
He'll have to fight for his place and quite frankly, Pep system isn't always fair for the players (no matter how they behave or deserve) but it's great for HIS SYSTEM, he likes that system, he wins with that system, he has become the best coach in the world with it and for my taste the best ever.
But that system means that even being generous, obedient, having great matches and stats like Julian and others in the past did (or even being great but narcisistic, rebel, etc) he still will:
Sit you, he might take take you out almost every game in the last minutes, he will put you just very little time in ocasions for some period, he might even send you to bench after three consecutive great games fill with stats...and this not against the player most of times, IS HIS SYSTEM with everyone bar his "clear" BOYS (and some of them can fall from that cathegory at any given moment too); he does this ALWAYS during his carreer.
B. The aspect mentioned above makes players competitive, a bit (or a lot ) angry, but also like everything in life has two sides of a coin, as examples sometimes Foden that has lived this situation for years now, in his urge of finally be one of the boys it's too much selfish, or serves mostly only one of the BOYS (Erling), or hurries a play, etc...the ones with more time in this system try to play more along each other (Grealish/Silva/Foden, etc), the new boys like Julian become excessively generous in their workrate ending tiring themselves or being too much generous given the ball in situations that he might try for him and on the other side of the coin when feeling in danger of not participating: hurry some plays that could be done with more calm, shooting when there are other more clear options, etc.
It's Pep's world, a world that preffers really top level players, but few or none trully phenoms or genius types, when he has those, he'll only back up them if they are at least manegeable to some level and he is not a roller coaster hard to manage.
4. Many people here complains about his first touch, yet he has a great first touch...it's true that there are instances where he hurries a play or does a miscontrol, of course but it's not a inherent flaw and it's more of a circumstantial one, that happens on equal parts sometimes just because of him being bad and others because: he is knackered after all the running he does, because they relase the ball to him when the player in question passing it to him just gives a hot potatoe, etc.
If any of us analyze the majority of goals from Julian are: after him chasing or pressing, after some rebound, after some out of the blue strike....Julian till now, HAS NOT RECEIVE the ball with advantage in a quantity that reflects the number of times he runs into space, he offers with no mark or in a great position or simply enjoying playing a one/two (Erling of all of them is the one that does this type of play more frequently with him, another aspect of why he is smart as fvck and such an incredible goalscorer).
The older players in Pep's systems like now in City will tend to share the ball among themselves, the younger ones like him feel the urge to gain their moment (soemtimes too much like happened with Palmer, but it's not easy to be in their shoes).
Julian also ISN'T Tevez or Aguero in the presence and character department, God Forbids you avoid these two three isntances in a row, you're in fecking trouble no matter you were Yaya, Kev, David, or whomever, specially Carlos, Julian it's not built in such way and that hurts his game.
Even his last goal, it's a fecking rebound, it's not a direct assist, it was a pass parallel to the goal line for Erling entering in the far post that ended in Julian's feet, that BTW WAS IN THE BEST POSITION TO SCORE, but once again. In that goal, he control it in tight space, took his time, place to put the ball and score. Yet in the same game, his urge for doing sthg made him also to miscontrol a couple of instances in the middle of the park.
How will Julian adapt to this enviroment? if he'll continue to give his best even commiting mistakes, if he will endure going to the bench after great matches, or if him at some moment with more confidence will CLAIM the ball when he has an advantage position with more presence or even angry, or if he will continue trying the shy odd out of nothing strike or hurry the play intead of face his mates , we don't know.
His mates also know he ain't Tevez, he doesn't command that respect and he might never do, so it will come to Pep himself, Julian how he deals with it and how his mates change their perception of him or how in danger they feel they are with their own status.
AS a whole the TEAM works, the team also shines most of times, so this more than probably will be his enviroment always and if he will gain more status only time will tell, but I feel that not only with Julian, but as a whole, lots of people kind of miss how Pep's enviroment is when you are not Messi and how hard and not easy is to navigate this enviroment specially for young fellas like Foden, Palmer, Julian etc...I feel that from the time I've been reading this thread in particular, there has been some lack of context, sorry again for the long post.
