For me, whilst no less embarrassing for the club and it’s manager Edin Dzeko’s reaction was proof of someone that did want to play. His anger at being withdrawn stemmed from a desire to rectify the situation on the pitch. By refusing to enter the pitch at all Tevez put his own grievances in front of the needs of his team. He could have been the spark that lit a comeback. Because of his petulance we’ll never know.
Everyone knows someone who is always on the lookout for ‘the new’. There’s a little bit in all of us when one thinks of our reaction to, and desire for the electronics industry’s latest computer or iPhone (just a little bit faster or a little bit more detailed). But for Tevez one wonders what it is that will make him truly happy.
Money is the thing least likely to achieve this in the long-term (and for proof one needs only to read the biography of other sportsmen, or movie and rock stars). He talks frequently of his lack of love for the sport in general. I’m reminded of Ernest Hemingway’s son saying of his father ‘he didn’t enjoy writing, but he was driven to write’.
Citing lack of affection at Man Utd he found it in abundance at Man City. But then this too wasn’t enough was keep him contented for long. He talked of missing his family but then refused to play down a move to Italy. In fact his family are now with him in Manchester so what next? Disciplinary action will surely follow Tuesday’s actions which will provide him with the ammunition to request to leave.
The frustrating thing about Tevez though is that, for all his petulance and all his bemoaning he has never let anyone down on the pitch. For West Ham, Man Utd and now Man City he runs his blood to water each and every time he goes onto the field of play. Compare this to a player like Yakubu. It was during the 4-1 defeat at home by West Brom that David Moyes lost faith in the Nigerian, after watching him wander around the centre circle for almost the entire game, failing to break a sweat.
If there were any morals left in the sport no other club would want to sign Tevez anyway. His actions this week should put any right-minded manager off buying him and he has clearly proven he is not a man that can be depended on. However, this is football and City know that if they were to release him (or sack him possibly for breach of contract) there would be a queue of top European clubs vying to sign him. Although much lower down the talent scale, Pierre Van Hooijdonk easily found another club even after going on strike at Nottingham Forrest.
And this is where it gets difficult for City. Now they’re a Champions League team they have rivals on the continent as well as in the county meaning they wouldn’t want Real Madrid or Barcelona to have him. Perhaps a cut-price deal to Corinthians would be the easiest solution.
Of course, Carlos Tevez has denied refusing to play. Saying he had ‘warmed up and was ready to play’ before cryptically adding ‘this is not the right time to get into specific details as to why this did not happen.’ Roberto Mancini, however, claims ‘he refused to come on the pitch’. I am sure most people are more likely to believe the manager. Often things are cited as to why communications break down (and the fact that Tevez still barely speaks English five years after arriving on these shores cannot help) but how difficult can it be to know you have been requested to go on?
Manchester City will be the third club to whom Carlos Tevez has left a nasty taste in the mouth. He’s played for a team fighting relegation but needed to be successful. He then moved to a successful team where he wasn’t loved. And he’s with a team that, prior to this week loved him unequivocally. Sure, he’ll move on be it Europe or back to South America. But how long before that move sours and it’s on to the next endeavour. In fact, perhaps the difficult aspect in attempting to assess just what it is that Tevez wants, is the fact that he doesn’t know himself.
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