12/13 and 13/14, he was at an all time low. This season, he's upped his work ethic enough for him to not really be a defensive downgrade compared to any of the other fullbacks (it actually seems like Montoya is fucking declining defensively). 3.9 tackles per game in La Liga doesn't exhibit him 'doing fuck all in defense', it's just that he lacks the discipline to stay back for a majority of the time and doesn't give us much security which is just a byproduct of his profile, not a sign of attitude issues. He still does make the effort to press and close down higher up the pitch. Montoya, on the other hand, is very shaky these days and does not really enhance us in any way whatsoever. Alves is not good in defense but with Rakitic there and Montoya not adding any security even with more defensive presence, I don't see any better idea.
In terms of attack, I find it a bit ridiculous to say that his attacking contributions are negligible just because he's not constantly creating attacking chances. This season, much more than the past two, Alves is actually important for us going forward. If you judge Alves based on the 'big picture', no he is not our biggest threat or a source of 438290423 goalscoring chances per game. However it is more accurate to judge him intrinsically for the role he plays in which he enhances our attacking threat for every given scenario MUCH more than either Douglas or Montoya would. Our net attacking strength is better with him there as a result. He checks in like an extra midfielder and actually does link up with Messi and Rakitic quite regularly. His presence in that right flank trio makes our shape much more dynamic and helps us get between the lines. I find it difficult to see how one can ridicule the Alvessi connection when it constantly helps us in ball movement or helping stimulate Messi whereas Montoya does nothing to make him better or add a tandem attacking threat. Alves of 13/14 would just cross it >20 times per game and give us nothing but with his more interior role he is actually helpful in buildup and less of a crossing burden than present day Alba.
I was one of Alves's biggest critics in years past. I still have issues with him. It's just that this scenario makes it much harder than it was previously to criticize him. Now he has greatly improved his attitude (Lucho has even said he's the one who trains best). His flaws can be masked by Rakitic to a certain extent. He's quit it with the crossing addiction and plays with more intelligence now. On top of that, the only player that could have threatened his position (Montoya) has clearly regressed in some aspects while plateauing in others.
