A demonstration of weakness at City?
Warmly embracing on the Carrow Road touchline it’s hard to believe Roberto Mancini and Carlos Tevez were once at loggerheads in a duel instigated by a bout of radical impertinence. The story behind the Argentinian’s seven-month exile from Manchester City is set in stone after he refused to leave the substitutes bench during a Champions League tie with Bayern Munich in September. The world of football denounced his selfish behaviour as he scuttled back to his native land with his tail flapping between his legs In the aftermath Mancini was commended for his resilient stance against Tevez’s insolence in a day and age where a managers authority is belittled by millionaire players possessing ego’s to match their substantial pay cheques.
Mancini publicly declared that the striker would never play for the club again as long as he was in the dugout saying“If I have my way he will be out. He’s finished with me. If we want to improve as a team Carlos can’t play with us. With me, he is finished.” But, as the wheels started to come off City’s title challenge and rivals United seized control at the Premier League summit the Italian did the unthinkable and offered Tevez an olive branch. It was a reconciliation that barely looked possible following the duo’s falling out yet Mancini seemed eager to bury the hatchet and bring Tevez back to the Etihad Stadium.
A sign of weakness or desperation perhaps? Both appear to have conflicted the City boss when he concluded that Tevez was the missing ingredient he required to ignite the clubs title tilt. It appears to have had the desired effect with the 28-year-old scoring four goals in his last two starts guiding the club to six precious points that closed the gap on their local advisories. A devastating hat trick at Norwich certainly put him back in the fans’ good books whilst the very public display of affection between him and Mancini set tongues wagging. Yet theres still the enduring theory that the man in the dugout is smiling through gritted teeth.
It’s no secret that the 47-yea-old’s job is far from secure at the Etihad. The billionaire Abu Dhabi group expect him to deliver a league championship after spending over £230 million on building a squad capable of doing so since succeeding Mark Hughes in December 2009. Soaring above the chasing pack for much of the season it seemed like this would be City’s year only for a late season collapse serving to temper their ambitions and put their title dreams on the back burner. A spark was required to trigger a revival and Mancini ultimately felt he had to swallow his pride and summon Tevez back from his self imposed extradition and offer him the chance at redemption.
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From an outsiders perspective it seems as if the pressure Mancini is under to seize the Premier League trophy away from United has forced him to go back on his word and bring Tevez in from the wilderness. In effect he’s thrown in the towel, fluttered the white flag and admitted defeat in order to end the dispute. He’ll paint the picture of being the bigger man but in reality the Italian will be seething that he’s been forced to abandon his principals rendering his influence over the dressing room invalid. If one can get away with it why can’t the rest? The Argentinian troublemaker will get the rewards he believes he warrants despite the fact his number of league starts will remain in single figures if he is present at kick off for the remaining fixtures. His boss on the other hand will be viewed as the man who wilted under the weight of expectation and turned to a renegade player who scoffs at the first hint of authority.
Yet theres still a nagging feeling that he backed himself into a corner and left himself with no alternative but to make the SOS call to Tevez and wipe quarrel under the rug. City’s recent drop in form owes a lot to the frontmen he has at his disposal. Mancini’s penchant to flout his wallet at monthly flavours lumbered him with two under performing strikers in the shape of Mario Balotelli and Edin Dzeko. Balotelli, whom he managed at Inter Milan, has made more front page headlines for his maverick antics and proved an unsettling influence whilst Dzeko has struggled to recapture the prolific form he displayed in the Bundesliga with Wolfsburg. Sergio Aguero was left as the primary goalscorer although his boss wasn’t confident enough to pin his hopes on the former Atletico Madrid attacker.
It opened Mancini up to even more questions about the frailness of his transfer strategy and capabilities to get the best out of players with undoubted talent. Would Tevez had been welcomed back with open arms if the Italian had two strikers performing at full capacity and sharing the goal scoring buck with Aguero? Quite simply the answer is no. The saga has only served to place question marks over his authority in the dressing room along with his player recruitment policy and coaching skills. Fundamentally he’s proven that he’s willing to sink beneath the realms of desperation in order to fulfil the expectations of his employers. It’s a move that could ultimately leave his reputation in tatters and provide another boost to the ever perpetuating power of the player.
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