Can’t you just feel the hope and anticipation amongst City fans waiting for the new season?
Wilbo sent Vital Manchester City the following article.
It’s rather like the pressure building up within a ‘singing’ kettle before its released in a joyous frenzy of noise and energy. This feeling has been heightened by the potentially imminent signing of Carlos Tevez, which we are told is about to happen. Not only would we be signing a world class player but he would have defected across the ‘border,’ for a new life in the blue half of the city. It would be rather like the Peter Swales era when he charged around like a snorting red eyed bull, at the first whiff of gaining any vengeance over the enemy.
Don’t get me wrong, nothing pleases me more than doing United down and their recent Champions League final defeat was a time to be savoured. However we also have to learn from what happened under Swales, as so often we ended up quite literally shooting ourselves in the foot. So let’s try and put the triumph and hysteria to one side and be ruthlessly analytical about Carlos Tevez and ask whether or not he would actually be a good signing for City at the £25 million plus City surcharge he will cost.
Where for example will he play in our line up? It is here that I begin to get a little concerned, as all the signs point to us preferring a 4-1-4-1 formation with a holding midfielder (de Jong or Kompany) in front of a back four and with two central midfielders (presumably Ireland and Barry would be first choice), flanked by two players giving width (Wright Phillips/ Bellemy and Robinho/Petrov for example).
The afore mentioned will support our ‘missing key’ signing – a strong, tall, skilful centre-forward who can hold up the ball, score goals including headed goals (as nobody else in our line up seems to have this quality). With this ‘Roy of the Rovers’ figure (possibly Samuel Eto) we will then advance on nirvana and be successful challengers for a top four place next year and win the Premiership the year after.
Yes, all seems sensible but I ask again where does Tevez fit into this picture? He doesn’t have the physique to be the centre forward we require and his natural position is the support striker. Won’t we have the same problem as the Rags did in finding a starting position for him in any line up that is not 4-4-2?
With us he will require to play each week and thus we would presumably have to start 4-4-2 every week, therefore City couldn’t resort to Ferguson’s tactics of using him as a sub when he reverted to two strikers late in the game. If we did start our games in a 4-4-2 formation which position would be sacrificed – the de Jong role, the Stevie Ireland role or the Gareth Barry role?
Am I missing something blindingly obvious and if so please feel free to enlighten me, otherwise it seems a lot of money is going to be spent and a lot of vengeance is going to be vent, but with little material end.
Your views would be appreciated as quite honestly I remain to be convinced of the wisdom of signing him. On the flip side, how wonderful it is to have the luxury of being picky about a world class player…gosh we have progressed haven’t we!
Many thanks Wilbo.
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