"Boss Roberto Mancini said last September that is was 'impossible' for the striker to play for the club again - but he will be a substitute against Chelsea on Wednesday night".
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| Trevez Last chance to come back or Good bye to career forever |
The Argentine will be a substitute for City against Chelsea at the Etihad Stadium and is expected to make his first appearance from the club since he refused to warm up in the Champions League clash at Bayern Munich last September.
That night, Mancini vowed that Tevez would not play for him again, while the player himself subsequently returned to Argentina for three months and tried to force a move to Italy in the January transfer window.
But after an episode that is estimated to have cost the 28-year-old £9.3 million in fines and lost bonuses, he is back in the frame with ringing endorsements from his manager and team-mates, who are desperate for City to win their first top-flight title in 44 years.
Mancini’s instincts were to stick to his hardline stance on Tevez despite the striker’s “sincere and unreserved” apology in February - but with City now four points behind rivals United, the Italian has decided to swallow his pride.
And if Tevez is to be recalled, what better game for it? With United’s boot firmly on City’s throat, this is when the blue side of Manchester could do with the injection of energy and goals that the combustible forward can provide.
Mancini is a pragmatist and willing to accept the consequence of being perceived as a soft touch if Tevez returns and scores the goals to fire City to the title. With doubts over his own future should he fail to win the Premier League, the City boss feels this is no time for moral crusades.
He will not need reminding what happened the last time Tevez played against Chelsea at Etihad Stadium.
In October 2010, Tevez scored the winner against the reigning Premier League champions with a typically surging run and finish. His record against the Londoners stands at six goals in six games.
If Tevez does get on the pitch - whether it is for 15 minutes of half-an-hour - he will play with the skill and enthusiasm that so endeared him to the City fans in his first two seasons at the club, during which he scored 53 goals in 74 starts.
No-one has ever doubted his ability, only his attitude and the influence of his agent, Kia Joorabchian. Tevez was the symbol of City’s emergence as a power in English football when he crossed the city divide and he was the club’s talisman in his first two seasons at Etihad Stadium.
With 10 league games left of the title race, Roberto Mancini would rather not have to call on Tevez. If City were eight points clear, the former Corinthians man would be left with the reserves.
But Mancini has consistently spoken of being a striker light, despite having spent a combined £83m on Sergio Aguero, Mario Balotelli and Edin Dzeko.
With City wobbling under the pressure and United flying towards a 20th top-flight title, Mancini’s men could do with a new spark, a catalyst for a run-in that looks more difficult than that of their rivals.
City have been appalled by Tevez’s behaviour this season and the player is almost certain to leave at the end of the season if a club meets their £25m valuation of a man who cost nearly twice that in 2009.
One theory within the club is that, if nothing else, his re-integration into the team will boost his value in the summer transfer window.
But for now, the main concern is closing the gap to United to one point by beating Chelsea on Wednesday night.
That night, Mancini vowed that Tevez would not play for him again, while the player himself subsequently returned to Argentina for three months and tried to force a move to Italy in the January transfer window.
But after an episode that is estimated to have cost the 28-year-old £9.3 million in fines and lost bonuses, he is back in the frame with ringing endorsements from his manager and team-mates, who are desperate for City to win their first top-flight title in 44 years.
| CHELSEA'S TORMENTER: TEVEZ'S RECORD AGAINST THE BLUES | |||
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| Club West Ham Man Utd Man City Total | Games 2 2 3 7 | Goals 1 1 4 6 | Win % 0 100 100 71 |
And if Tevez is to be recalled, what better game for it? With United’s boot firmly on City’s throat, this is when the blue side of Manchester could do with the injection of energy and goals that the combustible forward can provide.
Mancini is a pragmatist and willing to accept the consequence of being perceived as a soft touch if Tevez returns and scores the goals to fire City to the title. With doubts over his own future should he fail to win the Premier League, the City boss feels this is no time for moral crusades.
He will not need reminding what happened the last time Tevez played against Chelsea at Etihad Stadium.
In October 2010, Tevez scored the winner against the reigning Premier League champions with a typically surging run and finish. His record against the Londoners stands at six goals in six games.
If Tevez does get on the pitch - whether it is for 15 minutes of half-an-hour - he will play with the skill and enthusiasm that so endeared him to the City fans in his first two seasons at the club, during which he scored 53 goals in 74 starts.
No-one has ever doubted his ability, only his attitude and the influence of his agent, Kia Joorabchian. Tevez was the symbol of City’s emergence as a power in English football when he crossed the city divide and he was the club’s talisman in his first two seasons at Etihad Stadium.
| CITY'S STRIKERS THIS SEASON | |||
 | |||
| Player Aguero Balotelli Dzeko Tevez | Starts 31 17 24 2 | Sub apps 9 10 13 3 | Goals 23 14 18 0 |
But Mancini has consistently spoken of being a striker light, despite having spent a combined £83m on Sergio Aguero, Mario Balotelli and Edin Dzeko.
With City wobbling under the pressure and United flying towards a 20th top-flight title, Mancini’s men could do with a new spark, a catalyst for a run-in that looks more difficult than that of their rivals.
City have been appalled by Tevez’s behaviour this season and the player is almost certain to leave at the end of the season if a club meets their £25m valuation of a man who cost nearly twice that in 2009.
One theory within the club is that, if nothing else, his re-integration into the team will boost his value in the summer transfer window.
But for now, the main concern is closing the gap to United to one point by beating Chelsea on Wednesday night.
Mancini, the man who said Tevez playing for City against was “impossible”, now believes the Argentine will come in handy in that task.
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