The Carlos Tevez conundrum has continued in the firing of the
latest in a series of parting shots at Manchester United and Sir
Alex Ferguson.
Tevez’s latest complaint is his omission from United's starting
line-up in the Champions League Final they lost to Barcelona in
May. "You cannot argue with Alex Ferguson," said the striker who is
free to join who he wants from July 1. "He is like the president of
England. It is impossible, you always lose.
"But he made a mistake to leave me on the bench. That was the
only final the team had lost since I had been at Manchester
United." He may believe he has a case, though in fact United
actually only won the other two finals in which Tevez featured on
penalties. And United's problem in Rome was not a lack of forward
players, it was a lack of midfield quality. Tevez could perhaps
have replaced one of close pal Ji-Sung Park or Ryan Giggs yet it
was the onslaught of Xavi and Iniesta’s passing that proved
United’s undoing.
Tevez is endangering his residual popularity among the Old
Trafford faithful with such words and those of his agent, the ever
shadowy Kia Joorabchian.
The British-Iranian businessman followed United's confirmation
of Tevez's exit by arguing that United had taken too long to offer
him a deal and then, having offered the Argentine an acceptable
deal, not given him enough time to decide.
Popular as he may once have been among a sizeable section of
fans, bridges have now been burned and despite Tevez's repeated
playing of the populist card - applauding the fans, slagging off
the signing of Dimitar Berbatov - there are those that consider
United are best off without the Argentinian. He was never quite as
destructive a scurrier as Wayne Rooney and nor does he possess the
effortless class of his languid Bulgarian nemesis.
Tevez, if reports that he has settled his young daughter in a
Cheshire school are correct, looks most likely to cross the great
Mancunian divide to join City and their growing phalanx of
strikers.
The populist card was also played by Joorabchian in stating that
"Carlitos" would never join Liverpool because of his affinity with
United fans. The accepted opinion that Liverpool do not have the
money to buy him, as backed up by
Fernando Torres on Monday,
seems to have been conveniently skirted over.
That City are genuine deep-seated rivals of United, and have
been for far longer than Liverpool, obviously escaped Joorabchian.
Should City become a true challenger to United's pre-eminence and
Tevez is at the vanguard of that, then he can hardly expect United
fans to remain well disposed to him. Despite some vital goals over
his two Old Trafford seasons, including a decider against City in
May, Tevez will never be a Denis Law, forgiven for a crime against
United while in a City shirt. For all his supposed connection with
the Stretford End, they are now unlikely to greet him like a long
lost brother.
One of the given reasons for Tevez’s turning down of United’s
final offer was that he felt he should be guaranteed a first-team
place, a claim hardly backed up by some mediocre performances
during 2008-9. Such demands clearly do not sit well with Ferguson,
for whom decisions are his and his alone.
Meanwhile, City have composed a list of strikers that thus far
contains Craig Bellamy, Roque Santa Cruz, Robinho, Jo, Felipe
Caicedo, Valeri Bojinov, Darius Vassell and Ched Evans even before
Samuel Eto’o arrives or otherwise. Should the Cameroon striker
arrive, a possibility currently lost in the chicanery of
agent-speak and Barcelona’s ability to buy a replacement, then
Tevez will surely be fighting for the other striking place.
Chelsea, the other club linked in Joorabchian’s exit statement
would surely provide a similar level of competition for places.
Tevez’s time in English football has been marked by continual
controversy. The rank tedium of the farrago surrounding his leading
participation in West Ham’s escape from relegation in 2006-7 need
not be entered into again, for fear of inducing slumber. While not
as sensational, the protraction of his contract negotiations, or
lack thereof, made headlines throughout his two-year United
career.
That time at United coincided with a period of huge success at
Old Trafford. Two league titles and a Champions League win followed
by an appearance in the following year's final, as well as a
Carling Cup and World Club Cup is quite some haul. A success then,
yet one qualified by the trouble and intrigue that has surrounded
him ever since his arrival at United amid serious doubts over his
ability to justify the £25m levy placed on his talents by the MSI
third-party group.
With Cristiano Ronaldo and Tevez gone, it may be time to
reassert that Ferguson’s is the only ego at Old Trafford that
really matters.
Antonio Valencia’s imminent
arrival looks to be happening with the minimum of
fanfare, the way Ferguson likes it.
Tevez, whatever his beef with United and their manager over the
ending of an association, would do himself and his legacy more
credit if he held his tongue and chose instead to savour the good
times.