One day, it looks like Carlos Tevez has had enough of Roberto Mancini, of Manchester City, or Premier League football and the sport in general. Other days, his passion, drive and obvious talents can’t be held back, and he scores a hat-trick in a 5-0 win with his name on four of the five goals.
And he can’t do without adding a little bit more controversy to the situation, by arguing with Roberto Mancini after being replaced. Mancini isn’t the manager who throws players into the doghouse after a fight or two. If Tevez can come back from being completely erased to helping the team win the title last season, anyone can come back.
Even Mario Balotelli who assaulted Mancini on the training ground wasn’t thrown out by Mancini – he’s always willing to give players another chance. Maybe it hurts the respect some give the manager overtime, but it’s good to have a man never willing to give up on you.
And Tevez has done enough over the years, and especially the last couple of seasons, to warrant being given up on. No manager in the world, especially not those of the higher caliber, would have brought him back to the team, but he ended up being a key part of the late surge in 2012, and everything said and done in the name of ego and pride was forgotten. A championship was born, and Tevez became an integral part of a successful squad once again.
This season, it’s not so much the behavior, but the up & down ability, something affecting everyone with a bit of creative touch in the City squad. Tevez has scored 9 goals in the league, but suffered, like the rest of his striking partners, from the rotation and sometimes depressing tactics that Roberto Mancini found so popular between him and himself as the season went on. Tevez has to be the winger and the finisher, not to mention creator on many of his goal. He can do it, but not every match, not against every opponents.
It’s a matter of what side of bed he woke up on. How much passion he has for the profession and the game each and every day, each and every match. Manchester City have this cold type of look to it from the outside. Maybe it’s the bright colors of the t-shirts, but it’s probably what Mancini telecasts to the viewers and fans, not to mention the ownership and the kind of money spent on the players. All business, but it’s a lot hotter inside than that.
Tevez isn’t one of the best strikers in the world, not when his consistency isn’t something to be proud of. Maybe in the seasons when he was City’s main man and seemed happy, just for a bit, with scoring 20-25 goals a season, but not anymore. Whatever it is that drives him isn’t working all the time, and it’s only a question of when does he finally run out things keeping him in the game, besides his huge salary.