Murphy came off second-best in a heavy collision with Hawthorn counterpart Luke Hodge on Friday night. The impact will leave Murphy sidelined for up to month with a fractured cheekbone.
The Blues skipper missed seven weeks with a shoulder injury last season after a similar clash with Adelaide star Patrick Dangerfield.
On that occasion, Dangerfield readied himself for the collision by turning his body at the point of impact, meaning he was protected when contact was made.
Murphy, on the other hand, went in for the loose ground ball with reckless abandon and was unable to manipulate his body to avoid injury.
Citing the clash with Hodge, Alves told ABC radio's Sunday Inquisition that Murphy needed to improve the way he braces for contact when approaching the ball in heavy traffic.
"It was just two men going hard for the football," Alves said.
"I would suggest that one person (Hodge) goes to the football and he goes aggressively, crunch, and (is) ready for impact.
"I would suggest that Marc Murphy, on the other hand, has cost himself a couple of years of serious injuries because he doesn't.
"He goes in a bit loose. If you watch how it is, he (Murphy) doesn't play as if there's going to be an impact.
"He just goes in a little bit looser, when you think of Dangerfield and when you think of Hodge, how they attack the football, and I think that's (the cheekbone injury) the consequence of this."
Ben Guthrie is a reporter for AFL.com.au. Follow him on Twitter: @AFL_BenGuthrie
