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City demotion

Comment: 0 September 19th, 2011 by: admin
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THE love-hate relationship between Roberto Mancini and Carlos Tevez has taken another wrong detour.

Mancini, manager of Manchester City, stripped Tevez, the squad’s top goalscorer last season, of the captaincy but maintained they still need the latter.

So where does their affiliation go from there?

From Tevez, the armband went to central defender Vincent Kompany, symbolising perhaps a loss of confidence on the Argentine player and passing it on to someone who could play the leader’s role more effectively.

In the off-season, Tevez grumbled about his intention to leave City and play for some team that would make him near his family. He missed his loved one so much that he didn’t care whether he is disrupting his squad’s system and affecting his teammates’ morale.

BUNGLED ATTEMPT

No solution was arrived at to fulfil his wish. So he remained at City but Mancini’s patience has worn thin. Before they battled Wigan recently, the bench tactician handed the verdict and Tevez was captain no more.

City won against Wigan all right but Tevez missed a poor penalty shot that could have added to their output. Could that be his way of protesting what Mancini did to him?

Tevez is known for his penchant to score goals but that futile attempt was simply questionable. Mancini had given him the chance to start after he was excluded in the starting 11 in their first three league fixtures but replying to that move to have him back in the groove in a listless manner left his fate open to more discussions.

MANCINI’S WISH

A long road back to regain Mancini’s full trust is now facing Tevez. The Italian coach wants him to strengthen his commitment to the team by coming up with a superb performance like in their previous outings.

Yet Tevez performed lackadaisically. And as if to discipline him, Mancini immediately responded by relegating him to the substitute role in their 1-1 tie against Napoli in their Champion League group stage tiff last Wednesday.

City were off to a flying  start in the new season of the Premier League and they also have coming assignments in the Champions League where they are on their debut appearance in European club football’s premier competition and they are pressured to make good impressions.

The 27-year-old Tevez was in charge in scoring the past two seasons at City. He played an important role in the big-spending outfit’s FA Cup success last May when they beat Stoke in the final that enabled them to lift a trophy for the first time in 35 years. But all of the good things he did for the team are slowly disintegrating due to his want-away plan prior to the season.

Mancini’s decision to relieve Tevez of the captain’s post was right. He should be commended for that.

WITHOUT CARLOS

If Tevez does not shape up in their coming assignments, Mancini must devise ways to field a team that would work in harmony sans Tevez. They proved they can be that way in their first three matches and they should be able to do it again.

Mancini should prolong Tevez’s stay in the bench or keep him the substitutes’ list if he stays stubborn.

More whining from Tevez could only distract the team’s progress. The recent draw against Napoli should spur them to regroup in their next match and Mancini surely does not want another hitch to stymie them.

Tevez’s psychological well-being must be out of sync. He is a high-paid player who should be acting professionally at all times yet his ranting and below-par plays thus far indicate immaturity.

If he wants to reclaim his tag as the go-to-guy at City, Tevez must regain his self confidence and more importantly, his scoring touch. He must realise that he is no longer the one being relied upon when City need to rise in the clutches.

LEADING MEN

Sergio Aguero is now the team’s top chap as can be gleaned from his ferocious scorings that sparked City’s sizzling take-off. Edin Dzeko has been doing fine too as of late, while Kompany appears to be perfect-fit as the new skipper. Samir Nasri is soon expected to play a major role and even Alexei Kolarov is making a big impression.

One sparkling performance or more than that is probably what Tevez needs to be back in the `warm embrace’ of Mancini.

After losing the captaincy, Tevez may no longer stomach losing the full trust of his coach, and his teammates.

Only he can chart the course of his fate at City.

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