There are few players that divide opinion like Carlos Tevez. From his time in Argentina (before his ill-advised amateur golfing career) and then Brazil, to his strange move to West Ham and then to Old Trafford and finally as he made the short trip to Eastlands and then going full-circle back to South America, the Argentine hitman has courted controversy as much as anyone else you can think of. The man whose entire career is a transfer saga has always been mercurial - a messiah and maniac, prodigy and pariah. Stocky and scarred, his visage is splayed across the back pages of newspapers and tabloids across the footballing world, for a myriad reasons.
The obvious choice for a striker's spot in anyone's Team of the Week today, City's former skipper bagged three against Norwich at Carrow Road, reminding everyone of the player he once was, and perhaps still is - the man who inspired the blue half of Manchester to FA Cup success and Champions League qualification last season. What a welcome to Manchester it was, then.
But it was in the Champions League that Tevez's downfall was all but cemented. Already pining for a move away from the Etihad (with reported offers from AC Milan, Internazionale, and Paris Saint-Germain), the whole story behind his refusal to warm up against Bayern Munich may never be revealed, but supporters of striker and manager exist en masse, and perhaps both sides have good arguments. The end result saw the Argentine fined by the club, with added disciplinary action leading to him packing up and heading to Argentina.
During the months away from City, the team continued to do remarkably well (as did United, a strange parrallel whereby bth teams performed without their top scorers last season), though his golfing exertions didn't exactly yield an invite to the Masters. And all the time, he was still receiving wages from the employers he refused to play for.
Think about it for a moment, if you will. You are told by your boss that you have to do something you are contractually obliged to do (and paid handsomely to do), but you refuse. You are not fired. You leave your place of employment without permission, and stay away for several months, all the while collecting your salary. During this time, your other colleagues, for better or for worse, are doing their best to acheive what is best for your employer. You then choose to return to your place of employment, and promptly displace the worker(s) who had carried the ball for you while you were gallivanting off on the green.
It sounds harsh, of course, but it is the truth. Neither the idiocy or immobility of Balotelli or Dzeko, nor the phantom foot-spray woes of Sergio Aguero can mask that fact. What of the ever-professional James Milner, or the under-utilized Adam Johnson, both players who have their opportunities in the side pushed back by the return and almost immediate inclusion of Carlos Tevez?
There is no denying that Tevez is probably a much, much, better player than Balotelli or Dzeko, and that the Argentine pairing that led the line at Carrow Road is probably the best striking duo in the league. What is up for debate, though, is what Man City have lost in their quest to win.
After the warm-up debacle, Mancini was vehement in stating that his former captain would never play for his side again. After the player left to Buenos Aires, it seemed almost guaranteed. But a sudden return and reserve team outing suddenly saw the promise forgotten, by players, fans and manager alike.
Perhaps the decision was made by Mancini's employers, but that still raises the same questions directed towards the Etihad, and sets a dangerous precedent. His imbecelic antics aside, can you look at Mario Balotelli with an accusatory eye when he can at least claim to be more professional than Tevez? He has never gone AWOL for months at a time, and in fact did very well in the time Tevez was away, red cards and poor performances (in the eyes of Mancini) coming to the fore after Tevez returned to Britain. Can you blame Edin Dzeko for being demotivated when he was the one who was scoring goals alongside Sergio Aguero, but has lost his place to the two monst controversial strikers in English football?
Manchester City are still in with a shout of lifting their first ever Premier League trophy, though the title is still very much in United's hands. Many have called the return of Tevez as a turning point in their season, the catalyst and spearhead to rejuvenate their ailing league campaign. But City had a chance to make a statement, one which many (including myself and everyone else here) thought they did make, that nobody was bigger than the club. Several likened it to Sir Alex Ferguson's treatment of Jaap Stam, David Beckham, and others, and heralded it as City's rise to prominence, a sign of great success to come. Great success is probably still in City's near future sometime, but perhaps that success may be tainted.
This and more at www.thatswhatnazsaid.blogspot.com
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