Gareth Barry accepts Liverpool are a team with
history - but feels that Manchester City are the ones with the
brightest future.
The prelude to what turned out to be a pretty awful encounter at
Eastlands on Sunday was peppered with comments from the Liverpool
camp playing down City's growing prominence, Dirk Kuyt amongst
those pointing to the Reds' massive trophy haul and claiming the
Blues did not have enough money to buy that.
As someone who came close to joining the Anfield outfit 12
months before he finally left Aston Villa for City, Barry is
acutely aware of Liverpool's feats of yesteryear.
But after matching them in an admittedly sterile encounter,
Barry's belief about what will happen next has only been
reinforced.
"The statement was true," said the 29-year-old. "You can't buy
history.
"But they are talking about history, I am talking about the
future.
"I saw Manchester City reaching those heights when I was here
rather than going the opposite way. That was the basis behind my
decision.
"I believe this club is going in the right direction and I want
to be a part of it."
Barry is astute enough not to make any bold predictions, even
though City remain a point in front of the Merseyside giants and
still have a game in hand.
He realises the battle for fourth spot has a few twists still to
take and that neither his old club Villa, nor Tottenham, who
currently lie fourth, can be easily dismissed.
But the England star is certain where City are headed.
"We are not too far away," he said.
"We have proved all season against the top teams that we can
compete with them.
"I am here for a few years. If it doesn't happen this year I am
confident it will happen while I am here."
Barry expects to be part of Roberto Mancini's line-up for
tomorrow's FA Cup fifth-round replay at Stoke.
The winners visit Chelsea in the quarter-finals, the same place
the Blues are hopeful Carlos Tevez will be at the weekend following
the premature birth of his baby daughter in Argentina.
The forward's adviser, Kia Joorabchian, said: "When these things
happen you have to deal with them and obviously he is having to go
through a very difficult period.
"The signs are very positive in terms of his daughter's recovery
and we are all hoping this is the case.
"He was determined to get back for the Liverpool game but
unfortunately the situation didn't get much better.
"However, she has got better over the weekend and Carlos hopes
things will get better, for his daughter's sake and because he
wants to get back and play."
