The Italian is clearly an optimist, though the reception Tevez got for the reserves bodes well. But the Argentine’s return will be intriguing. How will it affect things in the dressing room. Balotelli is welcoming, but will they all be? This is a team too with plenty of firepower up front. It isn’t as though they need Tevez, what with three £30-40 million forwards.
City are rattled by Man Utd though, and are looking to summon all the power in their squad they can. They know that United are better than them, more experienced than them and with easier fixtures than them. And they can’t spend any money, so the return of Tevez is the next best thing.
But will Tevez’s return be a positive thing for them? It is difficult to know. Football is a funny game. Newcastle signed Faustino Asprilla and their title charge collapsed 15 years ago. Tottenham bought Louis Saha and they have suffered since his arrival. New signings, or the return of old players, can wreck with the balance of a team.
That said, Roberto Mancini is far more tactically astute than Harry Redknapp or Kevin Keegan, so one would expect them to cope better than some of those other teams. But whether Tevez’s return is positive or not remains to be seen. How it will affect the dressing room could be key. Mancini had told him to leave the club, but his authority has been diminished by allowing him to return.
Clearly this is a player though who can make the difference in the biggest games, the decisive ones. City fans will hope he does that once more for them in the run in to this season. They may need him. But whether he will be ideal or not for David Silva, the main creative player in the squad, is another matter. Tevez tends to drop deep and carry the ball with him going forward. Though Sergio Aguero can carry the ball, he looks to make more runs in behind, the kind that David Silva can supply so threateningly. Whether Silva and Tevez work as well is another matter.
The Spaniard is the creative hub of the side, and really Mancini needs to get the best out of him. His best form coincides with that of City and for him it will be key to have the players with whom he can play short passing movements and create triangles to work around the opposition.
One thing is for sure; Tevez won’t be quiet and his return will be eventful. A player who brings controversy with him wherever he goes is one that will have the world paying attention. And that’s what Tevez enjoys most; the adulation of the fans. A player who seems to thrive on being the centre of the team. But that might be the worst thing for City. They are far better balanced with Silva as the centre of their best play. For Tevez to take over from him in this respect could be counter productive. City will soon find out whether that is the case.
